Volume 3, Issue 2 July 2019
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It’s that time of year again…Welcome to all the new residents! Kudos to all the member RPDs for your continued dedication!
PGY2 Pain Management and Palliative Care Residency Program
Volume 3, Issue 2 July 2019
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Message about American Pain Society (APS)
Dear colleagues,
It is with very heavy heart that I announce that the American Pain Society has entered into Chapter 7 bankruptcy effective June 28th, 2019. For more than 40 years APS has been a professional home for clinicians and researchers that call pain management their home. While the Journal of Pain will continue to be published, all other efforts of the APS will cease. The list of accomplishments of this society are too numerous to outline individually, however, most notably APS -served as the U.S. Chapter for the International Association for the Study of Pain as well as provided national support for numerous regional societies. The American Pain Society has helped launch the research careers of hundreds of early career pain researchers and clinicians. Unfortunately, the APS was just not able to weather the storm of countless spurious lawsuits involving opioids while suffering from declining membership roles.
Chris Herndon, SPPCP President
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Volume 3, Issue 2 July 2019
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JOURNAL OF PAIN AND PALLIATIVE CARE PHARMACOTHERAPY
Membership
benefit: Full access Journal of Pain &
Palliative Care
Pharmacotherapy
Featured Article from this Issue:
“A Systematic Review of the Evidence Behind Use of Reduced Doses of
Acetaminophen in Chronic Liver Disease”
Authors: Anne E. Schweighardt & Katherine M. Juba
Published online June 17, 2019
Article Highlights:
• Acetaminophen is a widely prescribed nonopioid analgesic, but there is
conflicting evidence regarding its use in cirrhotic patients.
• Although the studies that were reviewed have limitations, evidence
suggests that acetaminophen may be appropriate in patients with
compensated cirrhosis when patient-specific factors are considered, expert
opinion regarding dosing is used, and therapy is monitored.
To access full article, click here.
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What is your current position? I am the inaugural PGY-2 Pain Management and
Palliative care Pharmacy Resident at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical
Center in San Francisco, California.
Why did you decide to specialize in pain management and/or palliative care? I
was originally interested in pursuing a PGY-2 residency in oncology; however,
during my experiences as a student and as a PGY-1 resident, I discovered the
importance and the positive impact pain management and palliative care
providers can have in a patient’s care.
My first exposure and what I consider to be the initial spark was my APPE experience in pain management with Dr. Tim
Atkinson at the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It was my first APPE rotation, and I did not
know what to expect or even what “pain management” entailed. Dr. Atkinson was an incredible mentor and challenged
me every day, which played right into my learning style. Through my interactions with the pain team and veterans, I
learned how much we can impact not only a patient’s care, but their quality of life as well. I was fortunate to have had
the opportunity to see the transition and successes of a few patients, which further validated the impact we had. With
the training and knowledge I gained in that short month, I left that rotation with a better understanding of pain
management and the ability to mark this area down as a strength.
What solidified my decision to specialize in these areas was seeing minimum to no pharmacy presence in both areas
throughout the various institutions I rotated through as an APPE student and at my PGY-1 institution. With new studies
being published about the shortage in palliative care clinicians and the impact pharmacy can have on an interdisciplinary
team and patient care, I knew this was an area I wanted to specialize in and help close that gap in patient care. I knew it
would provide me the opportunity to work closely with patients and build that trusting relationship. It would also allow
me to work with other healthcare professionals who share
Why is being a member of SPPCP important to you? Being a member of SPPCP is important to me because it gives me
the opportunity to interact with other PGY-2 Pain and Palliative Care residents, as well as clinical pharmacists in these
areas. SPPCP allows me to receive updates in our clinical community, updates in standards of care or research, and
provides weekly webinars to advance my training
If you weren’t a pharmacist, what would your next dream career be? Professional chef! My favorite recipe to make is
my grandma’s Beef Stroganoff.
What is your guilty pleasure? Binge-watching Netflix or Amazon Prime. I love romantic comedies, but I will never shy
away from an action film. I once watched the entire first season of Jack Ryan in two days.
What is one thing people may not know about you? I really love history and could spend hours in a history museum or
reading history books. Growing up, I was obsessed with Egyptian, Roman, and Greek history. I went to our local public
library two to three times a week in the summer to check out books on these subjects.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT – Kandice Mcarthur
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PRESENTATIONS
Sandra DiScala presented “Clinical Pain Assessment Strategies to
Optimize Acute and Chronic Pain Management” at the Pain
Management and Regulatory Conference for the Florida Pharmacy
Association in May.
Sandra DiScala, Maura Miller, and Michael Silverman presented “A Case Report Describing the
Management of Intrathecal Opioids in Hospice Care” at the American Academy of Hospice and
Palliative Medicine Annual Assembly in March.
Bridget Scullion and Andrew Dickman presented an e-poster entitled
“International Palliative Care Pharmacist Educational Exchange” at the
Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Annual Meeting in
June.
Thomas Webb presented “Brace for Impact: The Pharmacist’s Role Amid a
Reduced Reliance on Opioids” at the Louisiana Society of Health-System
Pharmacists Annual Meeting in May.
FUTURE PRESENTATIONS
Pamela Moore, Ashley Mains Espinosa, and Chris Bell will be presenting
“Working Through the Unimaginable: Dealing with Loss or Suicide on the Team at the 2019 ASHP
Midyear Clinical Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.
AWARDS
DiScala at AAHPM
Scullion at MASCC
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Kashelle Lockman was selected by the students of
the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy Class of
2021 as the Teacher of the Year for the 2018-2019
academic year.
Mary Lynn McPherson was awarded the 2019 USM
Board of Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in
Teaching.
Traci White was selected as Faculty Preceptor of the Year by the University of New Mexico Class of
2019.
OTHER NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
Jessica Emshoff helped develop and deliver a
new interprofessional education workshop on
palliative care that specifically focused on
concepts of grief and loss. This required
partnership between Northeast Ohio Medical
University and Cleveland State University.
Over 300 students from multiple discliplines,
including pharmacy, social work, physical
therapy, occupational therapy, speech and
language pathology, and nursing, attended
the workshop.
UPCOMING EVENTS
White receiving
award from her
student, Taylor
Segovia
Emshoff (middle) with colleagues
from social work (Cynthia Howland,
left) and physical therapy
(Madalynn Wendland, right).
McPherson receiving Award for Excellence in
Teaching
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The National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care is offering a free webinar on the new Medicare
Alternative Payment Models for hospices and palliative care programs on July 25th from 1:30pm to
3:00pm ET. For more info or to register click here.
The National Academy of Medicine is offering a free webinar on opioid tapering on July 22nd at
3:00pm ET. For more info or to register click here.
PainWeek – September 3 – 7, 2019. SPPCP Reception will be Tuesday, Sept 3rd starting at 5:30 at
the Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino, Yaletown 1, Level 4. Please kindly provide an RSVP if you plan
to attend. Here are just a few lectures:
• Pain Therapeutics by Alexandra McPherson, PharmD, MPH on 9/4/19 from 1:40-3:30 PM
• Maleficent Morphine Milligram Equivalents & Dosing Dilemma Disasters by Jeffrey Fudin, BS,
PharmD, DAAPM, FCCP, FASHP on 9/4/19 from 4:40-5:30 PM
• Spilled Beans and Hard Stops: How Legislation, Guidelines, and Reimbursement Policies Impact
Patient Care by Jessica Geiger Hayes, PharmD, BCPS, CPE on 9/5/19 from 5:40-6:30 PM.
• Everybody’s Greasing Up, But Should You Rub It In? A Review of Topical Analgesics and
Available Evidence in Clinical Trials by Timothy J. Atkinson, PharmD, BCPS, CPE on 9/6/19 from
7:00-7:50AM
• Opioid Math Calculations: Conversions, Titrations, and Breakthroughs by Mary Lynn
McPherson, PharmD, MA, MDE, BCPS, CPE on 9/6/19 from 9:40-10:30AM
• For the full agenda click here.
Interested in attending PAINWeekend? Check out a full listing here.
Contact Us!
Visit us on the web: www.palliativepharmacist.org
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Facebook (@palliativepharmacist)
Twitter (@PalliativePharm)
