2024 Reed Conference for Pharmacy

This session will review the landscape for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity (diabesity). The current incretin therapies have a significant impact on diabesity outcomes, with the pipeline adding additional novel mechanisms in the foreseeable future. Obesity and T2D are chronic and progressive diseases that are increasingly prevalent worldwide. Effective management of both is required to prevent the risk of developing numerous medical, physical, and psychosocial complications.

Pharmacists will leave this presentation with a better understanding of the usage of the currently approved agents as well as future modalities so that they are able to choose appropriate treatment for people with diabesity.

At the completion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

• Describe the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Standards of Care in Diabetes 2024 recommendations for achieving and maintaining glycemic and weight loss goals
• Explain the mechanism of action of current agents preferred by the ADA for the management of diabetes and obesity
• Summarize the future therapies and novel mechanisms being studied for the treatment of diabetes and obesity
• Utilizing patient cases, choose appropriate, evidence-based drug therapy and patient counseling

Presenter

Jennifer Goldman, RPh, PharmD, CDCES, BC-ADM, FCCP, is a professor of pharmacy practice at the MCPHS, where she teaches in the pharmacy and physician assistant programs. She is a clinical pharmacist/director of the Cardiometabolic Program at Well Life in Peabody, where she trains and precepts PharmD students, residents and fellows.

She has practiced for over 30 years and is board certified in advanced diabetes management, is a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist and a fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacists. She has presented at medical conferences, served on state and national public health and diabetes boards and received many awards for her scholarship, teaching, and service.

George Pavlakis, MCPHS PharmD Candidate '24

Activity Number: 0026-0000-24-004-L01-P | Knowledge-based
Topic Designator: Disease State Management / Drug Therapy
Contact Hours: 1.0

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is a management process that focuses on continually and systematically evaluating the organization’s work process, enhancing patient safety through a reduction in medication errors.

According to the 2023 NABP Survey of Pharmacy Law, 24 state boards of pharmacy mention CQI in their regulations and 18 out of 50 boards require pharmacies to maintain CQI programs to monitor and prevent quality-related events in community pharmacy.

This presentation will review and analyze reported medication error events using a feasible and effective program that aligns with the NABP model and the 247CMR MA Board of Registration in Pharmacy’s regulations for CQI program requirements.

At the completion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

• Review case scenarios of medication errors or near miss events to identify breakdowns that have contributed to the error
• Apply Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) principles to evaluate actual medication error cases
• Discuss best practices for reducing wrong drug errors in the community/ambulatory pharmacy
• Utilize the Situation Background Assessment Recommendation (SBAR) concept to improve communication and reduce errors in community/ambulatory pharmacy practice

Presenter

Donna Horn, MS, RPh, DPh, CHC is a Senior Ethics and Compliance Officer at Fresenius Medical Care, North America (FMCNA). She also provides direct student instruction at MCPHS and teaches ‘Preventing Medication Errors’ to graduate students at the University of Florida.

She has more than 25 years of experience in the community pharmacy practice setting and has served many years on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy and on the Board of Directors for the American Society for Pharmacy Law.

Donna received a BS in Pharmacy from MCPHS and an MS in Patient Safety and Medication Risk Management from the University of Florida.

Activity Number: 0026-0000-24-003-L03-P | Knowledge-based
Topic Designator: Pharmacy Law
Contact Hours: 1.0

This presentation will provide an overview of the science behind artificial intelligence and will discuss how this state of the art tool can be applied, focusing on approaches that are uniquely relevant to pharmacy practice.

At the completion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

• Discuss the basics of artificial intelligence and its evolution Identify current and potential applications of artificial intelligence in pharmacy practice
• Recognize the ethical, legal, and regulatory considerations of artificial intelligence
• Examine real-world examples and discuss practical application of AI in pharmacy practice

Presenters

Dhiren Patel, PharmD, has over 15 years of healthcare executive experience spanning academia, clinical care, and strategic roles in the pharma and startup industries. His early career began as an academic clinician, where he taught students at the MCPHS and Brown University.

While in academia, Dhiren was a consultant to a variety of clients. He joined one of these clients in 2018, Pack Health, leading their medical affairs department. His work as Senior Vice President of Commercial led to Pack Health's successful acquisition by Quest Diagnostics.

In 2023, he co-founded Taurus Health, a boutique healthcare consulting firm dedicated to commercializing artificial intelligence and digital health solutions across the healthcare industry. Dhiren received his PharmD from MCPHS. 

Ashish Advani, PharmD, President and CEO at InpharmD received his PharmD degree from the University of Georgia in 2007. After graduating, he completed a Drug Information residency and then worked his way to Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the Mercer University Drug Information Center.

Among other achievements, Ashish has published in peer-reviewed journals, served as a guest editor for the Journal of Pharmacy Practice, and served as a Drug Information Specialist at WellStar Atlanta Medical Center. He has also held several committee and board appointments.

In 2018, in partnership with Mercer University and backed by WellStar Health System, Dr. Advani created a technology, InpharmD, now one of the 100 fastest growing startups nationwide.

Natalie Park, PharmD, Co-Founder and CEO at Pharmesol, previously conducted health economics, outcomes research, and developed real-world evidence demonstrating the value of pharmaceutical products at Novartis. She also worked on population health initiatives, including medication management optimization, at Geisinger health. Natalie received her PharmD from Ohio State University. Currently pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science at University of York, Natalie integrates healthcare expertise with technology.

Activity Number: 0026-0000-24-002-L99-P | Knowledge
Topic Designator: Additional Topic Areas
Contact Hours: 1.0

HIV persists as a serious public health challenge, with prevention representing a foundational component to the CDCs current plan to end the epidemic by 2030.

This presentation will cover detailed information regarding currently FDA approved agents for PrEP, compare dosing, adverse effects, and indicated populations. It will also review key updates provided in the 2021 CDC PrEP clinical practice guidelines, including eligibility criteria, monitoring, and best practices for use of long-acting PrEP.

Lastly, there will be a review of post-exposure prophylactic strategies, including criteria for use, medications and their doses, as well as new developments in the PrEP and PEP spaces.

At the completion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

• Identify appropriate candidates for PrEP and PEP based on CDC guidance
• Describe key differences in PrEP agent selection based on patient demographic information
• Implement best practices and strategies for implementation of cabotegravir for PrEP
• Describe off-label dosing strategies for PrEP and doxyPEP

Presenter

Christopher Garzia, PharmD, is currently an Infectious Diseases pharmacy resident at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, where he completed his PGY1 residency after getting his PharmD from MCPHS. He received his bachelors degree from Brown University.

His primary clinical interests include transplant infectious diseases, HIV, and gram-negative resistance.

Activity Number: 0026-0000-24-006-L02-P | Knowledge-based
Topic Designator: HIV/AIDS
Contact Hours: 1.0

This session focuses on comprehensive pain management through a biopsychosocial framework and the critical role pharmacists have in implementing harm reduction principles. It will include an overview of pain management challenges, emphasizing the relevance of these approaches in current pharmacy practice.

A portion of the program will be dedicated to developing patient-centric care plans, focusing on gathering patient-specific information and formulating individualized strategies, while underscoring the importance of interprofessional collaboration.

At the completion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

• Describe various treatment options within an integrated biopsychosocial framework for comprehensive pain management
• Explain the principles of harm reduction and their application in pain management, emphasizing evidence-based strategies and best practices
• Given patient-specific information, implement an open communication strategy that utilizes shared decision-making for effective patient dialogue on pain management
• Given patient-specific information, develop a care plan that incorporates appropriate harm reduction and pain management strategies using a team-based, patient-centered approach

Presenter

Michele Matthews, PharmD, BCACP, CPE, FASHP, has been a faculty member at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences for the past 20 years and is an advanced practice pharmacist specializing in pain management and substance use disorders at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

She is an active researcher with numerous publications in her areas of expertise and has also held various leadership roles in national pharmacy organizations, including the Society of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacists, having served as president in 2022.

Activity Number: 0026-0000-24-001-L08-P | Application-based
Topic Designator: Pain Management
Contact Hours: 1.0

Ashish Advani, PharmD, President and CEO at InpharmD

Christopher Garzia, PharmD, PGY2 Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Resident at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Jennifer Goldman, RPh, PharmD, CDCES, BC-ADM, FCCP, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, MCPHS, and Clinical Pharmacist, Clinical Director–Cardiometabolic Program at Well Life

Donna Horn, MS, RPh, DPh, CHC, Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy Practice, MCPHS, and Senior Ethics and Compliance Officer at Fresenius Medical Care

Michele Matthews, PharmD, BCACP, CPE, FASHP, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, MCPHS, and Advanced Practice Pharmacist–Substance Use Disorder Care Team at Brigham and Women's Hospital

Natalie Park, PharmD, Co-Founder and CEO at Pharmesol

Dhiren Patel, PharmD, Co-Founder and General Partner at Taurus Health

George Pavlakis, MCPHS PharmD Candidate '24

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. Participants of the 2024 Reed Conference will receive 5 contact hours (0.5 CEU), including one hour of pharmacy law.

Requirements for Credit

In order to receive credit, the participant must be present the entirety of each presentation and complete the post-tests, and evaluation form for each session. Upon completion, participant credit will be reported to CPE Monitor. Transcripts may be printed from CPE Monitor.

Statement of Disclosure

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences adheres to the ACPE Standards for Integrity and Independence in Continuing Education. It is the policy of MCPHS that the speakers and planning committee members disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies within the last 24 months, and that relevant conflicts of interest are mitigated. Speakers will disclose any off-label/unapproved use of drugs or devices during their presentation.

Disclosures

Speakers

• Ashish Advani, PharmD, holds relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies. He is the President and CEO at InpharmD. The content developed and presented does not endorse the product lines or solutions produced by InpharmD.
• Christopher Garzia, PharmD, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies within the last 24 months to disclose. Christopher will discuss off-label usage of doxycyline for post-exposure prophylaxis as well as off-label usage of emtricitabine/tenofovir with "on demand" dosing.
• Jennifer Goldman, RPh, PharmD, CDCES, BC-ADM, FCCP, holds relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies. She is a member of the speaker's bureau for Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Abbott Diabetes, Xeris, Cequr, and Amgen. She will be discussing off label use of GLP-1RAs for weight loss as well as pipeline agents. The content developed and presented does not endorse the product lines or solutions produced or offered by Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Abbott Diabetes, Xeris, Cequr, or Amgen.
• Donna Horn, MS, RPh, DPh, CHC, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies within the last 24 months to disclose.
• Michele Matthews, PharmD, BCACP, CPE, FASHP, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies within the last 24 months to disclose.
• Natalie Park, PharmD, holds relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies. She is the owner of Pharmesol. The content developed and presented does not endorse the product lines or solutions produced by Pharmesol.
• Dhiren Patel, PharmD, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies within the last 24 months to disclose.
• George Pavlakis, PharmD Candidate 2024, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies within the last 24 months to disclose. He will discuss pipeline agents for treatment of diabetes/obesity.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Continuing Education staff members hold no financial relationships with ineligible companies, related to the content of this presentation.

No funding from industry provided for this event. No exhibitors will be present.

Putnam Club - Gillette Stadium
2nd Floor
1 Patriot Place
Foxborough, MA 02035.

Google Map Directions

Directions from 95

Take Interstate 95 to Exit 19 onto Route 1 South. Merge onto Route 1 South and follow for approximately 3 miles until you see Gillette Stadium at Patriot Place on your left. Once you reach the stadium, take a left at the second set of lights (CVS Pharmacy on corner) and take your first right onto P6 Drive in from of the Renaissance Hotel. Take your first left after the Renaissance Hotel and stay straight to the West parking lots of the stadium. Lighted electronic boards and directional signs will direct you to your event.

Directions from 495

Take Interstate 495 to Exit 36A onto Route 1 North. Follow Route 1 North approximately 4 miles to Gillette Stadium at Patriot Place on your right. Once you reach the Stadium, go through one set of lights and at the second set take a right onto P6 Drive. This road will lead you to the West stadium parking lots behind the Renaissance Hotel. Lighted electronic boards and directional signs will direct you to your event.

Parking and Entrance Details

Please park in in the West parking lots near the water tower and Renaissance Hotel. You will then enter through the W1 gate on the west side of the stadium, to get into the Putnam Club West.