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  • June 06, 2016 1:37 PM | Brad Miller (Administrator)

    Summer is here! We hope many of you will be able to join us for our annual summer outing at Fifth Third Ballpark to watch the West Michigan Whitecaps take on the Bowling Green Hot Rods on Thursday, June 30th. Admission is free for registered WMSHP members, and $14.50 for non-members (friends & family). Each ticket includes a complementary hot dog and soda. The game night promotion is $2 Pepsi products, $2 hot dogs, $2 beers and Social Media Night.  Children under 2 years of age get in free. Parking is $7 and is paid on-site.

    The WMSHP Board is in need of a technician board member for the remainder of the 2016-2017 two year term (committed until December 31, 2017). If you are interested in serving on the executive board, please submit your name and practice site to the current President, Becky Maynard at rebecca.maynard@borgess.com. For more information on executive board service, click here to review the WMSHP Bylaws. Any additional questions can be directed to Becky Maynard at the email above.

  • May 13, 2016 1:37 PM | Brad Miller (Administrator)

    The 2016-2017 Michigan Pharmacy Foundation Health Professional Leadership Academy is accepting applications, and WMSHP is offering one scholarship to a qualified pharmacist. The application for the next year of the academy can be accessed online by clicking here. To be considered for sponsorship from WMSHP, please submit your completed application to Becky Maynard at rebecca.maynard@borgess.com by midnight on Sunday, June 5th. 

    The Health Professional Leadership Academy is a year-long program designed to train healthcare providers and administrators in the skills necessary to lead teams and organizations in interdisciplinary settings. The Academy is an excellent way to expand your network, increase your involvement in Association and professional activities, and acquire the skill sets that are essential to any leadership role.  Enrollment in the Academy gets you access to:

    • Four face-to-face workshops covering core leadership topics
    • Eight online webinars, interfacing with the top leaders in the healthcare industry
    • Access to our members-only online forum to receive coaching and advice from past graduates of the Academy

    For more information about the Academy, please contact Eric Roath, Pharm.D., Executive Director of the Michigan Pharmacy Foundation at Eric@MichiganPharmacists.org.

  • April 21, 2016 1:38 PM | Brad Miller (Administrator)

    It is finally time to wrap up our 2015-2016 WMSHP year with Spring Seminar on Wednesday, May 11th. We would like to thank Corinne English, PharmD, and Julie Schmidt, PharmD for presenting their residency projects at our April meeting. It is always wonderful to see the great work of our local pharmacy residents, and we wish all of them good luck at the Great Lakes Pharmacy Resident Conference next week!

    Registration is still open for the 47th Annual WMSHP Spring Seminar until May 4th. Onsite registration will be available for an additional $10. We encourage early registration to ensure sufficient seating and materials. Registration can be made online and paid by credit card at www.wmshp.net/seminar.

    As many of you may have already seen, the Michigan Department of Licensing & Regulatory Affairs (LARA) has now provided guidance on how the Department is going to be enforcing the CE requirement for technician licensure. Here is an excerpt of the most recent information that we have:

    • LARA is NOT going to require any pharmacy technician CE until licenses expire in June 2017 (meaning pharmacy technicians who have their licenses come due on June 30, 2016 do not need to have CE (this time only).
    • In June 2017, if the pharmacy technician has had their license:
      • Less than one year – there will be no CE required
      • Greater than 1 year, but less than 2 = 10 hours of CE
      • For 2 years = 20 hours
    • The 20 hours of CE must include 1 hour in pain and symptom management, 1 hour in patient safety and 1 hour in pharmacy law with at least 5 of the CE credits earned by attending live courses
    • The Department will NO longer be accepting the PTCB Universal CE Forms that WMSHP has used in the past. In order to ensure that technicians renewing in June 2017 have CE that can be used in their renewal, WMSHP has taken immediate action to obtain ACPE accreditation for technicians at Spring Seminar.

    As always, if you would like more information about WMSHP, please visit our website at wmshp.net. We hope to see you May 11th!

  • March 22, 2016 1:39 PM | Brad Miller (Administrator)

    We are on the home stretch for wrapping up our 2015-2016 WMSHP year. A big thank you to Danielle Daunais, PharmD, BCACP for her wonderful March presentation, “Long Live the Liver: Updates on the Battle Against Hepatitis C.”

    On April 14th we will be back at Uccello’s in Grand Rapids for our annual residency project presentations. The two residents and their project titles are:

    • Corinne English – “Dexmedetomidine versus Usual Care for Treatment of Severe Alcohol Withdrawal in the Medical Intensive Care Unit” (Spectrum Health)
    • Julie Schmidt – “Feasibility of an Early Discharge Protocol in Patients with New Venous Thromboembolism in an Emergency Department” (Bronson Methodist Hospital)

    WMSHP is still accepting scholarship applications from eligible P3 students. The Board increased the scholarship to one $1,000 scholarship and one $500 this year. Applications must be submitted by April 8th, and the winners will be announced at the WMSHP Annual Spring Seminar. For more information, visit wmshp.net/scholarship.

    Registration is now open for our 2016 Spring Seminar at the Prince Conference Center in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, May 11th with 5 hours of continuing education credit. Members will be receiving the pamphlet shortly, or you can view the schedule and register anytime at wmshp.net/seminar. The deadline for pre-registration is May 4th. We hope to see you there!

    As always, if you would like more information about WMSHP, please visit our website at wmshp.net.

  • February 22, 2016 1:39 PM | Brad Miller (Administrator)

    Things are finally starting to warm up and bring hope for an early spring. Thank you to everyone who attended our February meeting where Sara Feinauer, PharmD, BCPS, spoke about the new PCSK9 inhibitors. We look forward to our upcoming continuing education program, "Long Live the Liver: Updates on the Battle against Hepatitis C" by Danielle Daunais, Pharm.D., BCACP on March 10th at Bronson in Kalamazoo.

    Our area residents have submitted their residency project abstracts for consideration to speak at our April meeting. It is great to see how the next generation of pharmacists are making contributions to pharmacy practice, and we look forward to hearing from the two residents that are selected.

  • January 25, 2016 1:40 PM | Brad Miller (Administrator)

    We had a great kick-start to 2016 with our January meeting at Old Burdick's at Wings West in Kalamazoo. Trevor Warner, PharmD, presented an "Update on Pain Management and Opioid Induced Constipation." A big thank you to Trevor for a wonderfully informative program!

    Our next meeting will be back in Grand Rapids at the Wege Center in the lower level classrooms. Sara Feinauer, PharmD, BCPS will be presenting on "Statin Intolerance and the novel PCSK9 Inhibitors". Hope to see you there!

  • December 23, 2015 1:40 PM | Brad Miller (Administrator)

    We've had a wonderful year of programming at WMSHP. A big thank you to all of our presenters for the past year, including our November speaker, Heather Hilgart, MS, SPHR who helped us learn how emotional intelligence can increase leadership impact. It's hard to believe that it's already time to look ahead to the opportunities of 2016. We will be starting the new year with our restaurant meeting in Kalamazoo at Old Burdick's at Wings West, where Trevor Warner, PharmD will be presenting an "Update on Pain Management and Opioid Induced Constipation".

    We also welcome our new and returning board members this year. The newly elected members are:

    President-Elect 2016: Katie Axford, PharmD, BCPS

    Treasurer 2016-2017: Kim Melgarejo, PharmD, MHA (incumbent)

    Technician 2016-2017: Trina Stojak, CPhT

    Board 2016-2017:

    • Katie Adrian, PharmD (incumbent)
    • Tara Holt, PharmD, BCPS (incumbent)
    • Kyle Schmidt, PharmD
    • Ashley Tocco, PharmD, BCPS
    • Julie Belfer, PharmD, BCPS (2016)

    Resident at large 2016: Sarah Hoerner, PharmD

    As always, if you'd like more information about WMSHP, please visit our website at wmshp.net.

  • October 23, 2015 1:41 PM | Brad Miller (Administrator)

    October was a busy month! Dean Van Loo, PharmD, presented at our October meeting proving that "Resistance is Not Futile." It was a wonderful program and very informative. We also held our annual Residency Showcase at Ferris State University. The showcase was very successful – lots of programs and students in attendance!

    Please consider attending our November meeting in Grand Rapids. On the 12th, Heather Hilgart, MS, SPHR, will be talking about "Increasing Leadership Impact through Emotional Intelligence." Hope to see everyone there!

    November is our last meeting in the fall. We'll be taking December off and returning in January. As always, if you'd like more information about WMSHP, please visit our website at wmshp.net

  • September 29, 2015 1:41 PM | Brad Miller (Administrator)

    Below are the nominees for our 2016 WMSHP Board Elections.  Votes will be due before the start of our November General Meeting on November 12th.

    President-Elect 2016:

    Katie Axford, PharmD, BCPS is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Ferris State University College of Pharmacy and practices with the inpatient Academic Family Medicine service at Mercy Health Saint Mary's. She is a 2010 graduate of FSUCOP and completed a 2-year Pharmacotherapy Residency through Indiana University Health and Butler University. Katie has been an active member of WMSHP, serving on the Board for the last three years.

    Treasurer 2016-17:

    Kim Melgarejo, Pharm.D. (incumbent) is currently a Pharmacy Manager at Borgess Medical Center. She graduated from West Virginia University with her pharmacy degree and then pursued a pharmacy practice residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital. Soon after her residency she moved to Michigan and has worked at BMC as a clinical pharmacy specialist, clinical pharmacy manager, and now a pharmacy manager. She has been a board member of WMSHP since 2005.

    Technician 2016-17:

    Trina Stojak, CPhT  started working in pharmacy 18 years ago. For the first 4 years, she found herself in a retail setting. For the last 14 years, she has worked in hospital settings in the Chicagoland area and across Michigan, including Helen Devos /Spectrum and University of Michigan's Mott's Children's.  As a certified technician, she has experience in mainly pediatrics, but some adults in an OR/ER setting, oncology inpatient and outpatient, and general inpatient setting.  Her current employment at Mercy Health enables her to hold an integral position on their USP 797 task force/implementation team. She is also currently finishing up her pre-pharmacy classes with a goal of pharmacy school in the near future.

    Board Members 2016-17:

    Katie Adrian, PharmD, BCPS (incumbent) received her degree from Ferris State University in 2011.  She then completed a PGY-1 residency at Bronson Methodist Hospital.  Katie is currently practicing as one of the Adult Medical Unit and Extended Medical Care Unit pharmacists at Bronson.  She is also Assistant Residency Director and helps to coordinate the orientation experiences for new residents, as well as the clinical pharmacy rotation at the end of the residency year. She has enjoyed being on the board and would love to continue her involvement.

    Julie Belfer, PharmD, BCPS is a clinical pharmacist at Mercy Health Saint Mary's and practices in critical and progressive care medicine units. She is a 2011 graduate of Ferris State University and completed a PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency at Mercy Health Saint Mary's followed by a PGY-2 critical care pharmacy practice residency at Mayo Clinic of Jacksonville, Florida.

    Christin Campbell, PharmD recently completed the PGY-1 Residency program at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo and transitioned into her role as a staff pharmacist in July 2015. She is seeking a position on the WMSHP Board so that she can have a more active role in the organization, with the intent to contribute her leadership skills and enthusiasm for advancing pharmacy practice. On her days off, Christin and her husband Doug spend most of their time chasing after their six-month old Bernese mountain dog, Gunner, and cleaning up the disaster usually left in his wake.

    Tara Holt, PharmD, BCPS (incumbent) graduated from Purdue University in 2010, then went on to complete a PGY1 and PGY2 critical care residency at Grady Health System in Atlanta, GA. She currently works as a clinical pharmacist in the neuro and medical intensive care units at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, MI. She is also an adjunct faculty with Ferris State University working with pharmacy students and residents at BMH. Professional involvement includes membership with WMSHP and she is an active member of the Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology section of SCCM.

    Kyle Schmidt, PharmD attended Ferris State University where he completed both his undergraduate studies and PharmD. Following graduation, he successfully completed a PGY-1 and PGY-2 Pharmacy Residency.  His PGY-1 Residency in Pharmacy Practices was at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, West Virginia, followed by a PGY-2 in Critical Care at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. Throughout each of his residencies, he took an active role in teaching, research, process improvement and protocol development. Kyle is now the clinical pharmacist in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital. He hopes to become a leader in the profession and contribute to the advancement of healthcare.

    Mitch Stein, PharmD received a bachelor's degree in biomedical science from Western Michigan University in 2010 and graduated from the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy in 2014. He recently completed the PGY-1 residency at Borgess Medical Center and now works as a staff pharmacist at Borgess. He has lived in West Michigan nearly his entire life and would be proud to represent health system pharmacists in the region.

    Ashley Tocco, PharmD, BCPS is the Lead IV Room Pharmacist at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, a position she accepted shortly after completing her PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency in 2013.  She has special interests in sterile processing, chemotherapy preparation, handling of hazardous drugs, and medical surveillance.  She has been an active member of WMSHP since moving to the west side of Michigan in 2012 and would love the opportunity to serve the organization as a member of the board.

  • September 21, 2015 1:42 PM | Brad Miller (Administrator)

    We had a wonderful meeting in September to kick-off our fall programming! A big thank you to Dana Staat, PharmD, for talking about the "Treatment of Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patients." A very interesting topic.

    On October 8th, please join us in Kalamazoo to hear from Dean Van Loo, PharmD, BCPS. Also in October, on the 15th, WMSHP will be hosting its annual Residency Showcase in conjunction with Ferris State University. Looking forward to seeing all the students, residents, and programs in attendance!

    The board encourages Western Michigan residents to consider joining WMSHP. Residents are always invited to attend our board meetings which occur prior to the educational portion of the meeting. We had a great resident turn-out this past month and look forward to meeting all who are interested!

    Finally, a big congratulations to Carissa Jacobs, PharmD! She is a PGY2 pediatrics resident at Spectrum Health and the winner of our Michigan Pharmacy Foundation Health Professional Leadership Academy Scholarship!

    As always, if you'd like more information about WMSHP, please visit our website at wmshp.net.

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