The PQI Podcast

Season 2, Episode 19 - Oncology Pharmacy Technicians

On this week's episode of The PQI Podcast we welcome Vonda McClendon, CPhT and Rebecca Garland, RPhT to discuss their paths to becoming oncology pharmacy technicians, the aspects of their roles they most enjoy, how pharmacy technicians can make a difference in patient adherence, and the value in NCODA’s Oncology Pharmacy Technician Association (OPTA).

Vonda leads the STAR Compliance Retail Services team at Texas Oncology. Rebecca is the Pharmacy Adherence Manager at Florida Cancer Specialists & Reserach Institute - Rx To Go Pharmacy. Vonda and Rebecca are also active members of OPTA.

Season 2, Episode 19 is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or at the link below. For more information on OPTA contact [email protected].

Season 2 Episode 18- Proactive Symptom Management in Myelofibrosis

On today’s episode of The PQI Podcast we welcome Kristyn DiSogra, PharmD, BCOP and Justin Arnall, PharmD, BCOP. Dr. DiSogra and Dr. Arnall worked on a myelofibrosis quality improvement project while clinical pharmacists with the Atrium Health Specialty Pharmacy Service in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dr. DiSogra completed her PGY1 residency at Mayo Clinic Hospital and her PGY2 oncology residency at the University of Washington after graduating from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She joined the CMC team in January 2019 after two years with the University of Washington Medical Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance as an inpatient Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant and inpatient Hematology/Oncology Clinical Pharmacy Specialist. Her professional interests include hematology, oncology, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, international health, and antimicrobial stewardship in cancer patients. She is currently taking time away from pharmacy and fulfilling the most important role of mother.

Dr. Arnall completed his PGY1 and PGY2 oncology residency training at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center after graduating from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Since completing his residency, he has practiced in malignant hematology and bone marrow transplant in both inpatient and outpatient roles. In his current role he works with both non-malignant and malignant hematologic conditions and coordinates the bleeding disorders and non-malignant hematology service line for the specialty pharmacy and rounds daily with the hematology consult team at the primary referral site for the Charlotte Metro health system.

Today we discuss myelofibrosis, Atrium Health’s myelofibrosis quality improvement project, the Proactive Symptom Management in Myelofibrosis PQI, and how other clinics can implement this telehealth-based project.

Season 2 Episode 17- Dr. Annemie Galimont- Oncodermatology

On today’s episode of The PQI Podcast we welcome Dr. Annime Galimont. Dr. Galimont is a dermatologist in the Netherlands and participates in Dutch and international expert groups to create information material and guidelines for safe care. She is Secretary of the Dutch Association of Dermatology and works with the multinational association of supportive care in cancer on various initiatives. Today we discuss oncodermatology and supportive care for skin and nail related side effects of cancer treatment.

More information on MASCC can be found here: https://www.mascc.org

Season 2 Episode 16- Linda Carlson, PhD- Integrative Oncology and Mindfulness

On today’s episode of The PQI Podcast we welcome Linda Carlson, PhD. Dr. Carlson holds the Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology, is Full Professor in Psychosocial Oncology in the Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology. She also has worked as a Clinical Psychologist at the Department of Psychosocial Resources at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC) since 1997. Dr. Carlson's research in Psychosocial Oncology, Integrative Oncology and Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery has been published in many high-impact journals. She is the current president of the Society for Integrative Oncology.

Today we discuss the basics of Integrative Oncology and the Society for Integrative Oncology. We also discuss Dr. Carlson’s work in mindfulness and cancer patients and how chronic stress affects the body, including tips for our healthcare providers.

On this week’s episode of the PQI Podcast we welcome Dr. Debra Patt, Oncologist with Texas Oncology, Dr. Barry Brooks, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, and Kevin Scorsone, Legislative & Policy Liaison with NCODA, to discuss the disparities in the oncology space and how legislation can make a major impact moving forward. We also had the opportunity to talk about the new NCODA Oncology State Legislation Tracking Tool.

Dr. Patt is an expert in healthcare policy, she has testified before Congress to protect access to care for Medicare beneficiaries. She chairs the Council on Legislation for the Texas Medical Association and works to formulate responsible healthcare policy that improves the health of Texans. She serves as the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Clinical Oncology Clinical Cancer Informatics, and drives engagement in clinical informatics solutions to enhance healthcare. Her research is in clinical decision support, predictive analytics, telemedicine, HEOR, tools for patient symptom management and quality improvement.

Dr. Brooks Barry D. Brooks, M.D., is the author of several publications and abstracts. Dr. Brooks is also Vice-Chairman of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and serves as Chairman of the Contracting Subcommittee for The US Oncology Network. He has been essential in the growth of legislative efforts in the world of oncology and serves on the NCODA Legislative and Policy Advisory Committee.

Kevin Scorsone is NCODAs Legislative and Policy Liaison and oversees the efforts of the NCODA Legislative and Policy Advisory Committee. He previously was a Legislative Communications Coordinator for the New York State Assembly and the Manager of Political Engagement for the North Carolina Nurses Association. In addition to his Legislative efforts, Kevin previously ran and worked on various political campaigns on the local, state and federal levels.

Season 2 Episode 13- Andrew Ruplin, PharmD

On today’s episode of The PQI Podcast we welcome Andrew Ruplin, PharmD. Andrew is an outpatient clinical oncology pharmacist at the University of Washington Medical Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA). He obtained his PharmD from Drake University in Iowa before completing his PGY1 residency at the University of Chicago Medicine, and then went on to complete his PGY2 residency in oncology with the University of Washington Medical Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. His disease specialties include gynecologic, neurologic, kidney, melanoma and non-melanoma skin, genitourinary, and breast cancers. I addition to his clinics, he is heavily involved with precepting clinical experiences, writing, and research projects in the residency program and serves as a student coordinator for general oncology advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Outside of work, he enjoys the fantastic hiking and outdoor opportunities in Washington, movies, games, and exploring the food of Seattle. He can be found every weekend at the local dog parks with his Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Winnie.

Today we discuss his path to become an oncology pharmacist, his clinic and team processes, current challenges his clinic is facing, updates in GU oncology, and the process of authoring a PQI. The study Andrew references on the podcast can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558767321001956.

Season 2 Episode 13- Josh Raub, PharmD, BCPS- Personal Cancer Story and Pharmacist Journey

On today’s episode of The PQI Podcast we welcome Joshua N. Raub, PharmD, BCPS.
Josh earned his PharmD degree from Wayne State University’s (WSU) Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Currently, he practices as a Medical Science Liaison for Seagen and is an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy (AJHP). As a cancer survivor and author, he is proud to share his journey and fulfill the role of patient advocate.

Today we discuss his personal cancer story, pharmacist journey, and tips for current pharmacy students in finding their career paths. We also discuss his book Through the Eyes of Cancer: A reflective journey of living with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His book is available for purchase here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096TQ6CK2/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tpbk_p1_i0.

Season 2 Episode 12- Dr. Ethan Basch- Digital Solutions in Monitoring Patient Reported Outcomes

On today’s episode of The PQI Podcast we welcome Ethan Basch, MD, MSc. Dr. Basch is an oncologist and outcomes researcher at the University of North Carolina, where he is Chief of Oncology and Physician-in-Chief of the North Carolina Cancer Hospital. He has led a research program for many years focused on bringing the patient voice into cancer drug development and into daily oncology practice. He is a member of the Board of Directors of ASCO, an editor for JAMA, and has served on the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute. Today we discuss his research in patient-reported outcomes tools.

Season 2, Episode 11: Updates In Pain Management - Mark Garofoli, PharmD, MBA, BCGP, CPE

On today’s episode of The PQI Podcast we welcome Mark Garofoli, PharmD, MBA, BCGP, CPE. Dr. Garofoli is Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Experiential Learning for the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, along with being a Clinical Pain Management Pharmacist at the WVU Medicine Center for Integrative Pain Management, and teaching pharmacology within the WVU School of Medicine Chronic Pain Fellowship Program.
Dr. Garofoli has been a consultant in the field of pain management on many different avenues such as being a grant reviewer for the CDC, an expert witness in multiple criminal and civil court cases, and numerous interviews and articles locally and nationally, He is a certified pain educator and the host of Pain Pod on the Pharmacy Podcast Network.
Today we discuss updates in the opioid epidemic, peripheral neuropathy, cannabinoids and legal updates. You can listen to Pain Pod here: https://pharmacypodcast.com/podcast/pain-pod/.

Season 2 Episode 10- Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

On today’s episode of The PQI Podcast we welcome Arturo Loaiza-Bonilla, MD, MSEd, FACP and Tamunosa Abbey, PharmD, MBA, BCPS from Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
Dr. Bonilla is the National Gastrointestinal Program Director and Medical Director of Clinical Research for CTCA. He earned a medical degree from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá, Colombia. Following medical school, he completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Harbor Hospital Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Loaiza-Bonilla also completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology from the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida.
Tamunosa is a pharmacist with over 8 years of experience dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration at CTCA in Atlanta, GA. During her tenure as a clinical oncology pharmacist, Dr. Abbey was instrumental in the establishment of a clinic-based pharmacy presence. In her current role as the Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisor, she oversees the pharmacy operations that serve the center’s outpatient clinics, infusion center, surgery department, and inpatient units to bring outstanding quality cancer care to the patients of CTCA.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month. Today we discuss the importance of a multidisciplinary team along with updates in colorectal cancer.
You can find NCODA’s Colon Cancer Screening Tool here: https://higherlogicdownload.s3-external-1.amazonaws.com/NCODA/24f717f3-286a-6025-1dd7-9587839f7526_file.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAVRDO7IEREB57R7MT&Expires=1647291082&Signature=tfwOjO7tCyBCIG7BpnjGKh45iFU%3D