Volume 27 | No.9 | October 2025 | | |
From Netty Cracknell, ISOPP President
Dear
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Final Days to Submit: Abstracts close this Friday, October 31 for the 2026 ISOPP Virtual Symposium, taking place on March 20, 2026.
This will be ISOPP’s first-ever 24-hour online Symposium, connecting oncology pharmacists across every region of the world in real time.
Award nominations will be opening shortly - watch out for the seperate email.
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It has been another incredibly busy month – and looking ahead, the pace shows no signs of slowing! With a packed schedule of webinars this month and next, it's energizing to see so many of you engaging with our global learning opportunities. These sessions reflect our shared commitment to improving patient care and advancing oncology pharmacy, no matter where in the world we practise. Please take some time to look at what interests you and register to watch.
Behind the scenes, there's been excellent progress across ISOPP's working groups. Our Safe Handling Task Force is now up and running – thank you to Harbans Dhillon, a former ISOPP president for chairing the group. Meanwhile, the Standards Task Force has submitted its first redrafts to the Chair and Vice chair, Emma Foreman and Shaun O’Connor and the wider group for feedback. These are important steps in shaping the future of safer, high-quality oncology pharmacy practice globally.
Nick Duncan and the ISOPP Research Committee is also hard at work getting ready to review the abstract submissions for our 2026 Virtual Symposium. If you haven’t submitted yet, I encourage you to share your research, audits or service improvement projects before the deadline on October 31st. We want to showcase the full breadth of work being done by our members and celebrate the impact of pharmacists across all settings in all parts of the world.
One feature that continues to ground and inspire me is our Day in the Life series. Reading about the realities of your daily practice – the challenges you face, the achievements you celebrate, and the unwavering focus on patient care – is a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. These stories resonate deeply, not just with me, but with so many across our ISOPP community. As Ehsan Elahi so eloquently put it: “My journey as a clinical oncology pharmacist is fuelled by passion, sustained by teamwork, and measured by patient outcomes.” I have no doubt many of us share and live by this sentiment.
As part of shaping ISOPP’s future, I encourage you to have your say by responding to the Sustainability Task Force Position Statement led by the chair of the Enviromental Sustainability Task Force, Frances Folkman. Your feedback ensures we reflect the diverse views of our global membership as we develop our stance on environmental responsibility.
Finally, if you're interested in taking on a leadership role, nominations are now open for two positions on the Secretariat starting in 2026 for a three-year term. This is a fantastic opportunity to help shape the future direction of ISOPP and become part of a supportive, engaged, and globally connected leadership team.
Thank you, as always, for your passion and engagement. I’m proud to serve a society full of such dedicated, forward-thinking professionals.
Until next month – keep the energy high and the impact strong.
Warm regards
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Netty Cracknell
ISOPP President 2024 - 2026
| | Submit Your ISOPP 2026 Abstracts by October 31 | | |
Are you leading innovation in oncology pharmacy practice or research?
Submit your abstract by October 31, 2025 to showcase your work to an international audience.
| | | We look forward to receiving your abstracts! | |
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Nick Duncan
Research Committee Chair
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Join us for the live launch webinar of the Breast Cancer Education Bundle as ISOPP and the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA) collaborate to empower Pharmacists globally with a 12-month integrated program designed to support pharmacists new to oncology practice.
Pharmacists at the Forefront: Advancing Breast Cancer Care from Early Detection to Survivorship
🗓️Thursday, October 30, 2025
🕛05:00 PDT (to find your local time click here)
This inaugural session will explore:
- Enhancing patient outcomes through pharmacist interventions
- Pharmacist-led support in breast cancer care, particularly in low-resource settings
- Strengthening continuity and person-centred care
- Fostering collaboration between oncology specialists, pharmacists, and global health partners
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The upcoming ISOPP & BOPA joint webinar, Sitting in the opposite chair, part of London Global Cancer Week - 2025.
🗓️Wednesday, November 26, 2025
🕛07:00 PST (to find your local time click here).
This session offers a unique perspective on cancer care through the eyes of a consultant cancer pharmacist, Emma Foreman, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year. It explores how professional expertise can both help and complicate the patient journey, revealing the emotional, physical, and systemic challenges faced when sitting “on the opposite chair.”
| IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have accessed this Webinar registration site before, please ensure to click "Edit" next to "ISOPP Webinar" in Summary page, and check the webinar(s) you would like to register for. If you have already registered for webinar(s) and wish to register for new webinar(s), please make sure to keep the old registered webinar(s) checked in addition to the new webinar(s). Unchecking webinar(s) will cancel your previous registration. | | |
Check out the Past Webinars!
Did you miss one of our webinars or would like to go back and watch? Recordings of past webinars are available on the ISOPP website for members to watch:
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Irene Weru
ISOPP Education
Committee Chair
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Liam King
ISOPP Education Committee
Webinar Lead
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Call for Election Nominations | |
ISOPP is seeking candidates for two director positions on the Secretariat for a three-year term beginning at the 2026 Annual General Meeting on March 24. If you or a colleague are interested in contributing to ISOPP’s leadership, please submit your nomination by Wednesday, November 12, 2025 via your personalized nomination link sent on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 with the subject line of "ISOPP: Call for Election Nominations".
If you require further clarification regarding the positions, nomination process or the elections, please contact me via email at president-elect@isopp.org.
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Barry Goldspiel
ISOPP President-Elect
Nominations Task Force Chair
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Environmental Sustainability Task Force
Position Statement
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As a global organization, ISOPP firmly believes in promoting environmental sustainability within oncology pharmacy. A position statement will form the foundation for our mission to advance oncology pharmacy care for all patients throughout the world.
To ensure that ISOPP is reflective and sensitive to our diverse membership, the Environmental Sustainability Task Force invites members to review the draft ISOPP Environmental Sustainability Task Force Position Statement.
We welcome your unique perspective and hope that you will share your approval, comments, reflections, and/or concerns with us prior to Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
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Frances Folkman
Environmental Sustainability Task Force Chair
sustainability@isopp.org
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By Ehsan Elahi, Pharm-D, M.Phil.
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist – Oncology/Hematology/Blood & Marrow Transplant Assistant Manager Pharmacy | Preceptor ASHP-IPPRP & IAPPRP, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan
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My day begins with a thorough review of patient charts—not only the prescribed medicines but also laboratory values, comorbidities, prior therapies, and any reported adverse effects. This preparation leads me to design and implement a pharmaceutical care plan for each patient, and equips me for the upcoming clinical ward rounds with oncologists, hematologists, nurses, and other members of the multidisciplinary team. During ward rounds, I engage in real-time discussions, offering consensus-building insights, whenever a patient’s treatment plan requires adjustment. These moments of collaboration are crucial.
Whether it is recommending a dose modification based on renal function, alerting the team to a drug–drug interaction, or proposing supportive care interventions, my contributions ensure therapy remains both effective and safe.
Cancer patients are uniquely vulnerable to medication errors, which makes chemotherapy appropriateness reviews an integral part of my responsibilities. Every prescribed protocol undergoes scrutiny—checking compatibility with the patient’s clinical status, appropriateness of dosing, and alignment with institutional and international guidelines and oncology stewardship principles. I am also involved in designing and implementing new chemotherapy protocols in computerized physician order entry within our Hospital Information System (HIS). The online chemotherapy protocols serve as templates and are readily available for any patient, where they serve as clinician’s prescriptions. This not only streamlines workflows for prescribers but also enhances safety by embedding standardized checks into the electronic prescribing process.
Beyond prescribing, I remain vigilant at the point of chemotherapy administration. Close collaboration with nursing teams ensures that chemotherapy is prepared, labeled, and delivered under sterile conditions.
Participation in daily surveillance audits safeguards patient safety and maintains compliance with sterile services protocols—because in oncology, even the smallest deviation can carry profound risks. As patients transition through their cancer journey, my role extends to discharge prescription review and reconciliation. This step prevents duplication, omission, or inappropriate continuation of medicines. Often, I address patient and caregiver concerns regarding chemotherapy regimens, supportive medications, and safe home use. By ensuring clarity and appropriateness, I help smoothen the continuum of care beyond hospital walls.
Patient safety also relies on ongoing monitoring of drug efficacy and toxicity. I routinely analyze charts, lab reports, and patient feedback to detect early signs of adverse drug reactions. These observations feed into our pharmacovigilance system, contributing to institutional learning and global reporting networks.
Interventions—whether dose reduction, drug substitution, or supportive therapy initiation—are implemented swiftly to preserve treatment outcomes.
A key part of my day involves multidisciplinary team meetings. Here, we chart out long-term treatment roadmaps, address emerging complications, and ensure alignment of pharmacotherapy with patient goals. Equally important is my role as a preceptor for pharmacy residents and trainees. Oncology is an ever-evolving field, and I actively contribute to training and educational activities, keeping teams updated on novel therapies, immunotherapies, biosimilars, and evolving guidelines. Sharing knowledge not only strengthens the profession but also inspires the next generation of oncology pharmacists.
Behind the scenes, I contribute to the often unseen but critical aspect of oncology care—medication supply chain management. I monitor drug inventory, forecast usage, and coordinate with the supply and clinical teams to preempt shortages. In oncology, where delays can directly impact survival outcomes, such proactive measures safeguard uninterrupted treatment access for patients.
Reflecting on my daily routine, I realize that my contributions—whether at the bedside, in protocol design, or behind the scenes—are all interwoven into a singular mission: to optimize cancer care. Every intervention, review, and collaboration is a step toward safer, more effective treatment for patients battling cancer. My journey as a clinical oncology pharmacist is fueled by passion, sustained by teamwork, and measured by patient outcomes. In every patient I serve, I see the reason why innovation, vigilance, and compassion must go hand in hand. It is this belief that continues to inspire me—and reaffirms why our role as oncology pharmacists is indispensable to advancing global cancer care.
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New Member Virtual Welcome Meeting
Hear how to connect with ISOPP and how you can help advance oncology pharmacy care
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Are you a new member of ISOPP in 2025, or a member who wants to know more about member benefits and opportunities? If so, join us in a 30-minute virtual gathering to meet ISOPP’s President and Past President and hear how you can make the most of your membership!
ISOPP is a growing organization and has a lot to offer new members. We would like to show you how to access all the benefits of membership and hear your thoughts on what you would like to get out of your ISOPP membership.
Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at 05:30 PST - Click here for the local time of the meeting for you.
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/95546723945?pwd=Y2U8JIc37EeKOMOfLEadyqYF7GTpEE.1
Meeting ID: 955 4672 3945
Passcode: 207293
You will meet:
- Netty Cracknell, ISOPP President
- Barry Goldspiel, ISOPP President Elect
- New ISOPP members
| | ISOPP International Virtual Symposium | | |
ISOPP's International Virtual Symposium 2026, taking place on March 20, 2026, is a 24-hour virtual event uniting oncology pharmacy professionals from across the globe to share innovative research, practice updates, and emerging developments in cancer care.
For more information visit the ISOPP website.
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Thank you for reading this edition of the ISOPP Newsletter.
Kind Regards
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Busayo Abolarin
ISOPP Engagement and Communications Committee,
Newsletter Editor
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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. We support ISOPP’s volunteer leadership (Secretariat, its Committees, Task Forces and Work Groups), its members and other stakeholders to help achieve ISOPP’s mission to advance oncology pharmacy care for patients around the world. If you have any questions about membership, services, Symposium or the Society, please contact the ISOPP Office directly as follows:
Email: membership@isopp.org
Direct: +1-604-984-6455
MCI Canada, 555 Burrard Street, 1st Floor
Vancouver, BC, Canada V7X 1M8
www.seatoskymeetings.com
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