Dear
Each year during the membership renewal period, members graciously donate monies so that fellow oncology pharmacy practitioners, who might otherwise not be able to join ISOPP, are afforded the opportunity. This year, ISOPP received 24 requests and of these requests 5 people who care about advancing cancer care will become members. This is thanks to the generosity of fellow mem
bers Alexandre Chan, Tandy-Sue Copeland, Polly Kintzel, Shaun O’Connor, John Wiernikowskii and others.
If you would like to make a small donation, please either call or email ISOPP’s Society Management office at 1+ 604 984 6455 and
membership@isopp.org
or log back into your membership record and make the donation.
If 105 members make a donation of $20 CAD we will reach our target amount of $2,100 CAD so that remaining 19 requests can be supported and the new members can be welcomed to the ISOPP community.
You may recall that two years ago, ISOPP held a Global Summit in Budapest just before the 2017 Symposium to discuss how to advance global cancer care though collaborative action. The discussion focused on education, advocacy, standards of practice, and global credentialing, specialization, and scope of practice. Work on these initiatives has continued over the past months and is building momentum. Members from all over the world are dedicating their time and expertise to further understand the needs of our members through assessment surveys and the work of
Committees and Task Forces
. The results are impressive. Thanks to your feedback and involvement, we are able develop more pertinent education offerings and resources, such as:
- A webinar education series is in the works on topics requested by members
- A Biosimilars Showcase Satellite Symposium will take place during our 2019 Symposium with a workshop on the same topic held just beforehand
- There is now a formal process in place whereby education resources are encouraged and vetted for posting to the website
- Position statements on biosimilars and on Oncology Pharmacy practice are being drafted
- A resource on how to write an abstract for a scientific meeting. This is a useful tool guiding you in the process of preparing a well-written abstract, especially if it is your first time.
- ISOPP’s inaugural Africa Regional Oncology Pharmacy Symposium 2019 (AROPS 2019) takes place May 16 to 17, followed by two concurrent Masterclasses on May 18 in Nairobi, Kenya (Submit your abstract by Sunday, March 31st and be sure to register)
- ISOPP’s Australasia Regional Oncology Pharmacy 2019 Symposium (AusROPS 2019) is set to take place April 6 to 7 in Melbourne, Australia (Registration is open and the program is online for viewing)
- ISOPP has a new benefit for members called the Sosido Network. Sosido is a practical and easy-to-use tool to share knowledge with fellow ISOPP colleagues around the world. Read below to learn more.
- An update of the ISOPP Standards of Practice is well underway with a team of members reviewing, editing and fine tuning
- Work with the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the Essential Medicines List (EML) review as well as the opportunity to obtain UICC Technical Fellowship continues
All the above have come to fruition because of you and your fellow members. Read more about each venture below as well as how to submit an abstract for presentation at ISOPP’s
2019 International Symposium (ISOPP 2019)
taking place in London, October 10 to 13. ISOPP 2019 is being hosted by the British Oncology Pharmacy Association and chaired by Rob Duncombe, who is Director of Pharmacy at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust. Rob is embarking on an incredible physical challenge and is asking for your help. Read all about it below.
Creating value for our members is key and requires a dedicated, strategic-focused leadership. To this end, I hope you have voted in the 2019 Election and made your choice of
candidates
known. If not, read below for details on how to vote by Sunday, March 31, 2019 at midnight GMT. Your participation makes a difference.
Lastly, mark your calendars for ISOPP’s very first virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) which will take place online on
Thursday, April 11 at 05:00 PDT
. We highly encourage all members to participate, especially those members who recently joined us. You will get to hear more about the ongoing projects in our Society and you may find opportunities to contribute. Find out more by reading below.
Thank you again for being a part of the ISOPP community and a warm welcome to all our new members. See you online at the AGM and then in person in Melbourne, Nairobi, and London!
PS Read through the enewsletter to the end for the "Oncology Pharmacy Around the World" articles.
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Alex Chan
ISOPP President
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Virtual AGM Meeting Notification
You will soon receive an email with a link to the meeting as well as directions on how to use the online platform.
Attend the meeting, see what ISOPP has been up to, share your opinion and ask questions! Your participation is important to advancing global oncology pharmacy care.
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2019 ISOPP Election – Deadline March 31st
Have you voted in the 2019 ISOPP Secretariat Election? You have until
Sunday, March 31, 2019 at midnight GMT
.
Check your inbox for an email with the subject line “ISOPP Election 2019: Reminder to Vote”, which was sent on March 19, 2019. It contains information on how to vote. If you did not receive the email, please contact the Society Management Office via email at
membership@isopp.org.
You are asked to vote for four candidates and indicate your recommendation for President Elect and Secretary from those candidates that have expressed an interest in these leadership roles.
To review the candidates’ letter of intent, visit the
ISOPP website
(log in as a member).
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UICC and WHO EML, and ISOPP Advocacy Task Force updates
By John Wiernikowski, ISOPP Advocacy Task Force Chair
The Advocacy Task Force was and remains poised to work on the World Health Organization (WHO) Essential Medicines List (EML) review, however, WHO is reviewing the process for EML reviews currently and that exercise is currently in limbo. A number of changes/modifications to the process are to be discussed at the WHO Executive Board meeting in Geneva next month.
Our relationship with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) remains strong, and UICC is keen to keep working with us on a number of initiatives. The goal to increase oncology pharmacy capacity in low and middle income countries (LMIC) remains a key focus as part of the Treatment for All Campaign launched on World Cancer Day 2018. As part of the ongoing campaign, UICC is asking for a couple of things from our ISOPP membership.
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New Membership Benefit: Sosido
ISOPP members will soon have access to Sosido, an online network for ISOPP members to share published research and clinical knowledge. Through Sosido, ISOPP members will receive:
- A weekly email digest summarizing all activity in the ISOPP community. You don’t have to log in to participate, and anything that’s important will come to your inbox, including:
- Updates on all publications authored by ISOPP members that week. Sosido automatically delivers a current and complete snapshot of the work of our ISOPP community.
- A summary of new articles released that week from journals chosen by you.
- Access to a secure ISOPP members-only forum to ask and answer questions.
We expect to be ready for launch by mid-end of April 2019. Stay tuned for updates!
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Call for input into the Oncology Pharmacy Practice Position Statement
By Barry Goldspiel, Credentialing/Specialization/Scope of Practice Task Force Chair
The ISOPP Credentialing, Specialization, Scope of Practice Task Force is
drafting a position statement
to describe the roles of oncology pharmacists and technicians in cancer patient care. Creating this position statement aligns with ISOPP’s strategic goals to engage members around the world to advance oncology pharmacy practice and to provide information that promotes advocacy, especially for countries where the profession has not yet recognized oncology pharmacy as a specialty.
The Task Force is looking for volunteers to work with Task Force members to draft the sections and then will be looking for reviewers.
Heads up for an upcoming email that will arrive in your inbox soon with more details!
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Highlighted Education Resources
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Education Needs Assessment Survey Results
By Himanshu Patel, Melanie Danilak, and Marliese Alexander, Education Committee Co-Chairs
The Education Committee is exploring ideas and developing plans to provide a variety of educational resources and services to ISOPP members. In order to better understand ISOPP members’ educational needs, an “Education Needs Assessment Survey” was circulated in December 2018 to all ISOPP members – 62 members completed the survey.
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Biosimilars Education Needs Assessment Survey Results
By Emma Foreman, Biosimilars Task Force Chair
As Task Force Chair, I would like to thank everybody who took the time to complete our survey – your input is greatly appreciated. The survey was circulated initially to ISOPP members but then widened to include non-ISOPP members, recruited via national oncology pharmacy associations or by word of mouth.
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Improve your knowledge and skills with the Hospital Pharmacy Education Hub
The hub offers free access to a wealth of eLearning materials and modules on topics relevant to hospital pharmacists, including the latest developments in the safe handling of hazardous drugs. Content is translated into English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Dutch.
The initiative is funded through an ‘arms-length’ grant from Becton Dickinson. However, all content, direction, marketing and administration is controlled by Cogora, publishers of Hospital Pharmacy Europe.
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Call for Oncology Pharmacy Educational Resources
Would you like to share an Educational Resource with ISOPP members?
ISOPP hosts online resources and links to external educational materials on its
Oncology Pharmacy Resources
web page with the aim to expand the reach of educational content relevant to Oncology Pharmacy practitioners.
We encourage you to
review the policy
and share your Education Resources with fellow ISOPP members.
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If you attended the 2018 Symposium or have previously purchased
Virtual Library
access, log in to the
ISOPP website
and visit the Virtual Library to view the new video presentations. Symposium participants receive complimentary access to the 2018 content for one year until May 2019!
Would you like complimentary access? Register for ISOPP’s 2019 Symposium in London, October 10-13! You will receive complimentary access until October 2020!
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ISOPP's 2019 Regional Symposia
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AROPS 2019:
Register Now and
Submit your abstract!
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AusROPS 2019: Register Now!
Register now
! Registration includes all sessions, morning and afternoon teas, lunch and online access to presentations.
The
Program at a Glance
is available. It’s a unique opportunity to learn from medical and pharmacy experts and covers a broad range of cancer topics!
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ISOPP's International Symposium
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Rob Duncombe, ISOPP’s 2019 Symposium Chair, will race in one of the toughest foot races on the planet to raise money for cancer research. Guess how long it will take him to complete the race for a chance to win a complimentary registration to
ISOPP’s 2019 International Symposium.
See below for how to enter to win!
In just 4 weeks, Rob is off to Morocco to begin his extraordinary expedition across more than 150 miles of the Sahara Desert as one of the participants of the
Marathon Des Sable.
Over the 6-day race, he will carry everything he needs to survive. Temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the sun and sand! Help Rob out by making a minimum donation of £15 in support of cancer research at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust where he is the Director of Pharmacy.
The Christie charity provides enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds for more than 44,000 cancer patients treated at The Christie every year. Your cheering support will help Rob get over the finish line – your financial support will help The Christie fund life-changing and potentially life-saving projects that will benefit cancer patients both now and in the future.
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ISOPP 2019 Call for Abstracts and More....
Check Out the “Tips and Tricks” Guide
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Also, new for 2019, the ISOPP Research Committee has prepared a resource on how to write an abstract for a scientific meeting. A useful tool guiding you in the process of preparing a well-written abstract, especially if it is your first time.
Review the guide for some ‘tips and tricks’
.
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To become a sponsor and/or exhibitor, contact Brittany Minskip, Symposium Manager, at
sponsor@isopp.org
.
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Call for ISOPP Quarterly Newsletter Authors
Would you like to contribute articles to be published in the ISOPP Newsletter?
We would love to hear about conference(s) you have attended, the day in your job or anything else you would like to share with ISOPP members in oncology pharmacy and your practice.
ISOPP’s Newsletter
,
published quarterly and sent via email directly to members, is the home of international discussion on oncology pharmacy research and practice and ISOPP news and business. We are always looking for contributions.
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Evelyn Handel
Newsletter Editor
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Apply for an ISOPP Award or Grant!
Have you applied for an award or grant yet?
Every day oncology pharmacists make a difference in the lives of cancer patients around the world. Part of ISOPP’s mission is to support and reward this vital work. We do this through our
Awards & Grants
program.
The deadline to apply for a Research Grant is
Monday, June 17, 2019
.
The deadline to nominate yourself and/or an ISOPP member for a Fellowship Award, Achievement Award or Helen McKinnon Award is
Monday, June 17, 2019
.
Full details for each grant and award (including eligibility criteria, application steps and application site) are located on the ISOPP website -
sign in
as a member and go to the
Awards & Grants
page.
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Oncology Pharmacy Around the World
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Belgian Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners (BOPP) 12th Conference
By Tiene Bauters, Ghent University Hospital
At the end of January, the Belgian Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners (BOPP) organized their 12th conference in Blankenberge. The program offered a wide variety of cancer related topics.
Prof. M. Peeters (UZ Antwerp) gave an excellent presentation on the complexicity of the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. The differences according to « synchrone or metachrone » metastases, the location of the primary tumor (right-side/left-side), the oligometastatic or multimetastatic aspect, the location of metastases (liver/lung/peritoneum and others) and the molecular profile were highlighted.
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The 6th TUKED Congress in Antalya, Turkey
By Asli Ozyildirim, MSc in Clinical Pharmacy, Vehbi Koc Foundation Healthcare Group and Gamze Korubuk, MSc in Pharmaceutical, Technology, Hacettepe University Hospital
The 6th National Hospital and Institution Pharmacist Congress of the Turkish Pharmacist Association (TUKED) was held in Antalya, Turkey between February 27th and March 3rd, 2018 with the intense participation of our colleagues in different positions of the sector. The agenda provided participants with a variety of sessions including satellite symposia, workshops, breakout sessions, exhibitions, social events, and broad sessions from the experts in the field of healthcare and academy.
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ISOPP's Society and Symposium Management Office
Sea to Sky Meeting and Association Management
is ISOPP's Society and Symposium Management Office. If you have any questions about membership, services, Symposium or the Society, please contact the ISOPP Office directly as follows:
Direct: +1-604-984-6448
Fax: +1-604-984-6434
Suite 206, 201 Bewicke Avenue
North Vancouver, BC Canada V7M 3M7
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