Greetings
During ISOPP’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) two months ago, I shared two of ISOPP’s strategies in navigating the pandemic, namely, advancing cancer care globally through projects and collaborations, and preparing for the return of in-person meetings.
While we enjoyed a first class virtual Symposium with the AGM, enabling over 120 participants from 33 countries to connect and engage in sessions and various activities, there is no doubt we long to get together in person. With the varying timelines of vaccination rollouts around the world, ISOPP’s next international Symposium will be moved from March 2022 to 2023 – still in beautiful Sevilla. This does not preclude our Regional Symposium initiatives.
The Saudi Oncology Pharmacy Assembly (SOPA) is hosting ISOPP’s first ever Saudi Arabia Regional Oncology Pharmacy Conference, scheduled to take place from November 4 to 6, 2021 as an in-person event for those in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and virtually for the ISOPP presenters.
Another collaboration in the Middle East is the Excellence in Oncology Pharmacy Practice Series, a scientific exchange forum for clinical pharmacists across the Gulf that aims to educate pharmacists on recent trends and international standards in oncology. Two ISOPP members will participate as presenters in four sessions over the next few months in this invitation only series.
In Africa, we welcomed the Egyptian Foundation of Clinical Pharmacy (EFCP) as joint membership partners and invite pharmacists from both EFCP and ISOPP to join their respective organizations at discounted membership fees. We are also sharing our expertise as part of the Project PINK BLUE, a medical oncology training for Nigerian clinical oncologists through the Upgrade Oncology: U.S. - Nigeria Science & Technology Exchange Program.
Read on to learn more about other projects and collaborations advancing care globally, including the work of the Advocacy Task Force and the Immunotherapy Task Force, and ISOPP’s recently published position statement in the Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice (JOPP) on the “Role of the Oncology Pharmacy Team in Cancer Care” (with thanks to the Credentialing, Specialization, Scope of Practice Task Force).
Another strategy highlighted in the AGM was engaging and growing membership even more. To this end, please watch for and complete a survey seeking your input on how we can add more value to your membership and improve our service. For members located in Africa, there will be another survey coming your way seeking input on Biosimilar implementation in oncology practice in Africa.
If you weren’t able to join us for ISOPP’s 2021 Virtual Symposium, benefit from additional knowledge and best practices by accessing the video presentations through ISOPP’s Virtual Library – complimentary for all ISOPP members. Many thanks to Melanie Danilak, our Virtual Symposium Task Force Chair, and all those who participated and volunteered their expertise to make our virtual gathering an outstanding success. In fact, 97% rated the event as good to excellent, and 90% rated the online platform as good to excellent as well.
Enjoy the rest of the newsletter, including the “Oncology Around the World” articles, and see you online and in person soon!
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Shaun O’Connor
ISOPP President
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News from the
ISOPP Advocacy Task Force
After last year’s participation in a Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) sponsored program on Impact of Drug Shortages and Quality on Patients with cancer, in which ISOPP members Bo Yu (China), Irene Weru (Kenya) and Annemeri Livinalli (Brazil) participated, our activity (not by choice) took a downturn.
We await (the highly anticipated) publication of our next set of Standards of Practice. Once the Standards are published, the Advocacy Task Force will work with UICC on an audit to identify which standards are not being met, or are being met with difficulty, in various countries around the world. Once identified, the Task Force will work with UICC and its partners to help institutions worldwide meet the standards.
This year is also a year in which the WHO re-evaluates the WHO Essential Medicines List (EML). I have been in contact with Dr. Lorenzo Moja at the WHO EML Secretariat having had the opportunity to meet him in person in 2019.
As a result of that meeting, I am pleased to report on two significant developments in our relationship with the WHO.
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Call for
ISOPP Advocacy Task Force Co-chair
The work of the ISOPP Advocacy Task Force is expected to ramp up during the remainder of 2021 and potentially on an ongoing basis. John Wiernikowski has been Chair of the Task Force since its inception and with the increasing activity, now is a good time to bring on a Co-Chair and initiate a succession planning process.
Our Advocacy activities are currently largely focused on all aspects of Oncology Pharmacy Capacity building and Access to Medicines in Low and Middle Income countries (LMICs). So, having a Co-Chair from an LMIC makes sense but is not a prerequisite. Anyone with an interest in Global Health is welcome to put their name forward. The Co-chair will be appointed by the President.
The mandate of the Task Force is to devise plans for implementing ISOPP’s strategic priority to mobilize the oncology pharmacy community around collaborative advocacy initiatives.
The term for this initial transition would be a 1 year (minimum) with some flexibility. Once the Co-Chair transitions to the Chair role, the Chair will work with the President and Secretariat to deliver.
Please contact Shaun O’Connor, ISOPP President, at president@isopp.org or John Wiernikowksi, Advocacy Task Force Chair, at advocacy@isopp.org, should you wish to discuss this opportunity further and/or to express your interest.
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Watch your inbox for a Survey:
Biosimilar implementation in oncology practice in Africa
During ISOPP’s 2019 Symposium, African participants highlighted several challenges to the introduction of biosimilars into their local practice during the Biosimilars Workshop.
ISOPP’s Biosimilars Task Force would like to explore these challenges further, with a view to designing educational materials and resources which meet the specific needs of oncology pharmacists and other oncology professionals in Africa.
ISOPP members in Africa, watch your inbox in coming weeks for the Biosimilars Task Force survey!
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Watch your inbox for a Survey:
ISOPP Membership Survey
As part of ISOPP’s ongoing commitment to our members, we are seeking input to inform our strategic priorities, website revamp project, communication practices and advocacy initiatives.
Watch your inbox in coming weeks to participate!
We want to make sure we are delivering the value you expect from your membership.
The survey is anonymous, and responses will be collated and summarized into a written report to be shared with ISOPP’s leadership.
Upon completion of the entire survey, as a token of our appreciation, and should you wish to share you contact information, your name will be entered into a draw for a chance to win a complimentary 2022 ISOPP membership.
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ISOPP Position Statement: Role of the Oncology Pharmacy Team in Cancer Care
ISOPP’s position statement on the “Role of the Oncology Pharmacy Team in Cancer Care” (with thanks to the Credentialing, Specialization, Scope of Practice Task Force) is published in the Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice (JOPP).
The position statement describes the roles of oncology pharmacists and technicians in cancer patient care and provides information that promotes advocacy, especially for countries where the profession has not yet recognized oncology pharmacy as a specialty.
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Joint Membership with
Egyptian Foundation of Clinical Pharmacy (EFCP)
EFCP is a national clinical pharmacy organization whose mandate is to share knowledge and awareness of clinical pharmacy profession, practice and scientific research, with the aim to optimise health care services and advance the knowledge of pharmacy health care professionals.
To qualify for these discounted rates, pharmacists must be a member of both EFCP and ISOPP. Select the applicable membership fee category when applying or renewing your membership with each organization.
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ISOPP Sponsored Membership
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 20 requests and of these requests, 11 healthcare professionals who care about advancing cancer care will become members.
This is thanks to the generosity of ISOPP members: Alex Chan, Flay Charbonneau, Thomas Connor, Tandy-Sue Copeland, Marc Geirnaert, David Henry, Lisa Holle, Polly Kintzel, Shaun O’Connor, Debbie Paull, Barbara Yum, Carlo DeAngelis and others.
If you would like to make a donation, please email ISOPP’s Society Management office at membership@isopp.org or log into your membership record to make the donation. If 55 members make a donation of $20 CAD each, we will reach our target amount of $1081.50 CAD so that the remaining 9 requests can be supported and the new members can be welcomed to the ISOPP community.
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ISOPP 2021 Virtual Symposium
Contest Winners!
During ISOPP’s 2021 Virtual Symposium,
participants competed to see who could collect the most points by answering ISOPP trivia questions, engaging with other participants, attending sessions, and completing other activities.
All participants with points were entered into a draw to win one of two prizes: a complimentary registration for a future ISOPP Symposium or an ISOPP membership for next year!
Congratulations to Felice Musicco for winning the complimentary registration to a future ISOPP Symposium, and María Asunción Albert-Marí for winning the complimentary 2022 ISOPP membership!
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Virtual AGM Minutes available online!
If you didn’t have chance to attend the meeting, review the minutes for updates from the various Committees and Task Forces.
Thank you again for being a part of the ISOPP community!
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Oncology Pharmacotherapy and Applications of Biosimilars Program
Register complimentary for ISOPP’s Oncology Pharmacotherapy and Applications of Biosimilars (OPAB) Program! You would have received an email containing your personalized link. If you have not received an email with your personalized link, please contact the Society Management Office at register@isopp.org.
The program is aimed at ISOPP members who are oncology pharmacists and have practiced for at least one year in the area of oncology pharmacy. The program consists of 10 online modules and is made possible through an educational grant from Pfizer. You can choose to take the accredited program or non-accredited program. The module topics and authors are as follows:
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Visit the ISOPP website to learn more about the topics, authors and learning objectives.
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2021 Conferences and Events in Collaboration |
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Saudi Oncology Pharmacy Assembly (SOPA) / International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners (ISOPP) Regional Conference 2021
The Saudi Oncology Pharmacy Assembly (SOPA) is hosting ISOPP’s first ever Saudi Arabia Regional Oncology Pharmacy Conference, scheduled to take place on November 4-6, 2021 as a hybrid event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Save the date and stay tuned as more information becomes available!
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Excellence in Oncology Pharmacy Practice, Gulf Region
AstraZeneca has developed a scientific exchange forum for clinical pharmacists across the Gulf, through an initiative that aims to educate pharmacists on oncology recent trends and international standards, and ISOPP has been invited to participate.
This invitation only event consists of 10 hours virtual content on two main topics: Cancer Patient Supportive Care Masterclass and Pharmacogenomics. The topics will be presented by Alexandre Chan, PharmD, MPH, BCPS, BCOP, FCCP, FISOPP, APh and Todd Knepper, PharmD respectively.
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Oncology Pharmacy Around the World |
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The Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA)’s 17th Annual Conference
By Lisa Holle, PharmD, BCOP, FHOPA, FISOPP
Due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the annual meeting was held virtually for the first time, but that didn’t slow down the educational offerings or the attendance. The meeting offered 39 continuing education credits, including 8 credits toward board certification in oncology pharmacy. Over 1,424 people registered for the conference (highest attendance record to date), and on average attendees spent 67 hours within the virtual platform.
The virtual meeting platform was set up to mimic the usual HOPA Annual meeting, with an exhibit hall, general sessions, breakout sessions, poster hall, recruitment fair, patient advocacy groups longe, and a networking lounge.
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Contamination of Lenalidomide on Blister Packages after Administration and Its Exposure Countermeasures
By Hisanaga Nomura, Deputy Manager, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development
In this report, we published our research regarding occupational exposure to hazardous drugs.1 Since the publication of the ISOPP Standards in 2007, many countries and many facilities have implemented the recommendations for safe handling of hazardous drugs at their pharmacies.2 On the surface, these measures appear to have solved the occupational exposure risk from hazardous drugs; however, the problem still is not solved completely at the level of the medical workplace.
For instance, we still need to consider the safe handling of oral anti-cancer drugs for health care workers and caregivers at the patients’ homes. In addition, we should consider the exposure from excretion of bodily fluids like sweat in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
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Silver Anniversary Celebration for the Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology (CAPhO)
By Lynne Nakashima, Senior Director, Provincial Pharmacy, BC Cancer
Due to the ongoing concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic, CAPhO was forced to hold our annual national oncology conference, the CAPhO Conference virtually this year. It was held June 4-6, 2021 and coincided with CAPhO's 25th Anniversary!
The theme of the conference was "Change, Challenge, Opportunity". This past year has brought huge changes and challenges for us, both professionally and personally. But with that, we also found opportunities - to be a part of the front line efforts to fight the pandemic, to change the way we care for patients, and to take our practiced to the next level! Our CAPhO Conference highlighted these themes throughout the 3 day event!
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Highlighted Education Resources |
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ISOPP offers online educational opportunities specific to the needs of oncology pharmacy practitioners, facilitated by ISOPP leaders and oncology pharmacy experts.
Log in as a member to learn from ISOPP’s previously recorded webinars. Members have complimentary access for one year from the date of the webinar:
Interested in presenting a webinar? Please contact the Education Committee Chair, Himanshu Patel, at education@isopp.org.
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The Virtual Library serves as a hub for oncology pharmacy practitioners from around the world to access the breadth and depth of knowledge of ISOPP members and others on a 24-hour basis.
Members and non-members have access to certain resources complimentary and others through a paid subscription.
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After completing the questionnaire, a certificate will be available. Although not formally accredited for continuing medical education (CME) points, participation is equal to one hour of CME activity.
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JOPP is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and is free for ISOPP members.
You can access JOPP issues online anytime via ISOPP website (log in as a member). Please note that a hard copy of the Journal is no longer available.
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Membership Benefit: Sosido
ISOPP members have access to Sosido, an online knowledge sharing platform designed to speed clinical knowledge transfer between healthcare professionals.
Are you a new ISOPP member? Then, you will receive an email in April to set up access to Sosido!
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.
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You can Follow us on ISOPP’s Social Media
ISOPP is the world’s gateway to oncology pharmacy research and practice. This is the place you come to learn about the latest developments in oncology pharmacy, to connect with pioneers in cancer treatment, and to expand your knowledge of oncology pharmacy practice worldwide.
Follow us on the following ISOPP’s Social Media to stay informed of upcoming ISOPP activities and conversations.
Share our posts with your network and encourage others to join ISOPP!
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You too can be an ISOPP
Quarterly Newsletter Author
We would love to hear about: conferences (virtual or in person) and/or education events / program you may have attended, or a ‘Day in the life of a <name country> oncology pharmacist’ during the COVID19 outbreak 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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Are you or your national organization looking for a way to reach ISOPP members for a research study, to share information or other related oncology pharmacy matters?
There are several ways to reach ISOPP members:
ISOPP will distribute your survey, if it meets set criteria. This service is free if the principal investigator or co-investigator is an ISOPP member, and is available to non-members for a fee of $750 CAD.
Many ISOPP members are part of healthcare teams involved in cancer prevention, treatment, supportive care, and symptom management. If you would like to reach them to share information about a job posting, a product launch, a conference or other related oncology pharmacy matters, ISOPP will distribute an email on your behalf and post the information to the ISOPP website. Check out the cost for a one-time email distribution!
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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:
Direct: +1-604-984-6448
Suite 206, 201 Bewicke Avenue
North Vancouver, BC Canada V7M 3M7
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