Volume 28 | No.9 | October 2026 | | |
From Barry Goldspiel, ISOPP President
Dear
“Artificial intelligence should complement the expertise of oncology pharmacists—not replace the clinical judgment, compassion, and accountability that patients deserve.”
Dr. Baz | October, 2026
If you are like me, you are struggling with accepting AI applications for patient care and publishing. When we’re dealing with patient safety and optimal therapy, we want to know that the information we use is accurate and trustworthy. Is AI at that stage yet? Are you now turning to one of the AI programs first instead of looking at primary literature and properly developed clinical guidelines? In publishing, there are concerns about plagiarism, fake references, authorship, and whether researchers are transparent about using AI. Many publishing companies have created policies for accepted AI use and proper disclosure. But is it okay for an AI program to write the first draft of manuscript if a human takes responsibility for final outcome?
These are legitimate concerns, but they can also make people hesitant to explore what AI can actually offer. AI is not going to go away. Many of us have experienced changes in technology. I remember a time when patient care was delivered without an electronic medical record (EMR). Patient care notes were written manually and kept in charts available only at the bedside. You had to make several trips to the hospital lab to retrieve results. And medication orders were hand-written with all the old problems of medication errors resulting from improperly interpreted orders. Now, it’s a few clicks and you have all the information you need and the EMR can help, through “clinical decision support (CDS),” to determine the proper dose. In some ways, CDS can be thought of as a primitive use of AI.
I also remember a time when I had to go to a medical library, ask a librarian to do Medline search, review the search, decide on what articles to retrieve, go to the stacks to retrieve the printed versions of journals, photocopy the articles, summarize relevant information on index cards, and write the paper. Now between PubMed and any AI program, the same can be accomplished in minutes and without leaving home. However, could the complete process be totally automated and produce results equal to or better than a human?
At the same time, ignoring AI won’t make it go away. When used responsibly, it can help us find information faster, organize data, improve writing, and spend more time on the work that really matters. The answer isn’t to accept everything AI produces or reject it outright, but to learn how to use it wisely, recognize its limitations, and check its results. Some people worry that AI will replace healthcare professionals, reduce the value of human expertise, or lead to mistakes that could harm patients. I think AI shouldn’t replace humans but rather augment our knowledge and experience without replacing our judgment. The struggle remains finding a sensible balance between the benefits of AI and the human expertise that healthcare and scientific publishing will always need.
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Our plans to continue celebrations for ISOPP’s 30th anniversary will start soon with entries from some members where ISOPP has either influenced their personal journey or influenced practice on a broader scale. Please see my last President’s Message for the request to send your thoughts to our Engagement & Communications Committee Chair, Tiffany Chan (tiffany.chan@nhs.net).
We will be formally announcing World Cancer Pharmacy Day (May 6th) to the global pharmacy community in November. This is just the start of many celebrations throughout this and next year. If you have any thoughts about how ISOPP should celebrate this at your local level, please let me know (president@isopp.org).
The upcoming ISOPP Symposiums have been formally announced:
- 2027: ISOPP XXIV/SOBRAFO 2027 from May 13 – 15 (Symposium) & May 16 (Masterclass) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- 2028: ISOPP XXV/BOPA 2028 Conference from October 13 – 15 (Symposium) & October 16 (Masterclass) in Glasgow, Scotland.
With great respect for what you do for cancer patients,
Baz
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To me, ISOPP represents more than an international organization; it represents a community of professionals who believe that pharmacists have a meaningful role in improving the lives of people affected by cancer. As a pharmacy student and student leader in Kenya, I see ISOPP as an opportunity to learn, connect, and contribute to a future where every cancer patient receives safe, effective, and compassionate pharmaceutical care.
My interest in oncology has grown from seeing the realities of cancer within my community and understanding the gaps that patients, particularly in resource-limited settings, continue to face. ISOPP inspires me because it brings together people from different backgrounds and countries to share knowledge, advance oncology pharmacy practice, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
For me, joining and engaging with ISOPP would be a step toward becoming a more competent and compassionate oncology professional. I want to learn from global experts, exchange experiences with other young professionals, and bring valuable knowledge back to my community in Kenya and Africa.
Most importantly, ISOPP reminds me that behind every diagnosis is a person, a family, and a story. I want my journey in pharmacy to be about more than medicines.I want it to be about making a difference.
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To me, ISOPP means seeing pharmacy beyond medicines. It represents the kind of pharmacist I want to become—knowledgeable, compassionate, and able to make a real difference in a patient’s life. As a pharmacy student, I am still discovering what it truly means to be part of healthcare. Oncology has shown me that treating cancer is not only about choosing the right medicine. It is also about understanding the patient, making treatment safer, supporting families, and giving people hope during one of the most difficult periods of their lives.
ISOPP inspires me because it brings together knowledge, experience, and people from different parts of the world who share the same purpose. For my career, it represents an opportunity to learn from the best and to understand how oncology pharmacists can contribute beyond the traditional role of dispensing medicines.
For my community, ISOPP represents the possibility of bringing better knowledge and better patient care to places where specialized oncology pharmacy services may still be developing.
I am only at the beginning of my journey, but I believe every journey starts with a reason. For me, ISOPP is a reminder to learn with purpose, care with compassion, and use my knowledge to make someone’s difficult day a little easier.
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Cancer Services Capability Building on
Solomon Islands
Marissa Ryan, ISOPP Fiji representative, recently travelled to the Solomon Islands (first time) for a week alongside other cancer clinicians including two medical oncologists, a haematologist, a Clinical Nurse Consultant, and a Nurse Practitioner, to help with capability building on cancer services. The Mission was led by medical oncologist Prof Desmond Yip, who first started in-country visits to the Solomon Islands a decade ago. ISOPP is proud of what Marissa was able to achieve during this visit.
| | At National Medical Store in Honiara (NMS) in Honiara discussing optimising cancer medicines procurement | Marissa going through dose calculations with pharmacist Dexter Iniakwala, who is in his first year of being a registered pharmacist | | |
Outside the outpatient Pharmacy Department at the National Referral Hospital, Honiara
| Marissa delivering education to cancer nurses and a pharmacist, on oral cancer therapies and medicines newly added to the formulary | |
New Safe Handling Toolkit Resource Available: Module 2
We are delighted to announce the launch of Module 2: Safe Practices and Spill Management as part of the ISOPP Safe Handling Toolkit.
This new e-learning module provides practical guidance on the safe receiving, transporting, storing, handling, administering, and disposing of systemic anti-cancer therapies and cytotoxic drugs. It also covers the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), safe work practices, spill management, incident reporting, and the promotion of a strong safety culture in oncology practice.
You can access the Safe Handling Toolkit here:
https://www.isopp.org/library/toolkits/safe-handling-toolkit
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the development of this important educational resource.
Kind regards,
Netty Cracknell
ISOPP Past President
pastpresident@isopp.org
| | New Members Meeting with ISOPP Management | | Call for JOPP Reviewers and Featured JOPP Articles | | |
If you are interested in serving as a reviewer for JOPP submissions, please send an email to Barry Goldspiel (joppeditor@isopp.org) with a short description of your reviewer experience and a copy of your curriculum vitae.
If you have published a paper featured in the ISOPP Newsletter, please send the citation and a 1 to 3 sentence description of the importance of your paper to joppeditor@isopp.org.
Barry Goldspiel
ISOPP President
president@isopp.org
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Call for Newsletter Entries
We would really like to feature our members in the Newsletter.
Please send a few paragraphs about your typical day at work. Your 'Day in the Life' entry and headshot/action shot should be sent to newsletter@isopp.org
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Share your thoughts to help us celebrate ISOPP
- Celebrating 30 years of ISOPP – inviting members to share their experiences of developing and growing with ISOPP over the years, including reflections on how ISOPP has influenced their professional journey, practice, collaborations or connections.
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Position statements that have shaped oncology pharmacy practice – inviting members to reflect on major ISOPP position statements or guidance that have influenced oncology pharmacy practice internationally, and how these have supported changes in practice within their own countries or organisations.
Please send your entries and include a professional headshot photo to:
Tiffany Chan (tiffany.chan@nhs.net)
Chair, ISOPP Engagement and Communications Committee.
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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
newsletter@isopp.org
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ISOPP's Society and Symposium Management Office
Sea to Sky, an MCI Company 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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