Utilization of a "Diversity Index" to Assess Racial Diversity of US School of Pharmacy Graduates.

Objective: Diversity in the training environment for health professionals is associated with improved abilities for graduates to care for diverse populations. Thus, a goal for health professional training programs, including pharmacy schools, should be to pursue representation among graduates that mirrors that of their communities.

Methods: We evaluate racial and ethnic diversity among graduates of Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs across the United States (US) over time.

Impact of a resident-driven wellbeing committee on resident-perceived wellbeing, burnout, and resilience.

Background: Limited data exists to guide strategies that reduce risks of burnout amongst pharmacy residents.

Objective: The primary objective of this analysis was to characterize wellbeing, burnout, and resiliency among pharmacy residents. The secondary objective was to assess the impact of a resident-run wellbeing committee on wellbeing, burnout, and resiliency.

Healthcare Equity and Leadership: Implementation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training for Pharmacy Residents.

BackgroundPharmacy training programs infrequently include formal training in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Hence, the purpose of this report is to offer perspectives gained from the delivery of a DEI curriculum within a pharmacy residency program aimed at expanding experiential learning focused on DEI and health equity. Pharmacy residents at an academic medical center were invited to participate in a longitudinal DEI/equity seminar series that was thoughtfully and strategically developed by a team of residents and program leadership based on a six-step process.

Effectiveness and impact of a structured research approach for health-system pharmacy administration and leadership residents.

Purpose: Required competency areas, goals, and objectives for both postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residencies and postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) health-system pharmacy administration and leadership (HSPAL) residencies indicate the importance of research in the residency program by specifying it as a required part of the training process. Research is critical in the field of health-system pharmacy administration, which is built upon the principles of evaluation and assessment, ensuring that all activities implemented in an organization are evaluated through data collection and assessment to determine their impact. Additionally, the research structure provides residents the opportunity to share research broadly, and it also provides the platform for other institutions to implement successful ideas of interest to them.

Influence of Germline Genetics on Tacrolimus Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients.

Tacrolimus exhibits high inter-patient pharmacokinetics (PK) variability, as well as a narrow therapeutic index, and therefore requires therapeutic drug monitoring. Germline mutations in cytochrome P450 isoforms 4 and 5 genes () and the ATP-binding cassette B1 gene () may contribute to interindividual tacrolimus PK variability, which may impact clinical outcomes among allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients. In this study, 252 adult patients who received tacrolimus for acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) prophylaxis after allogeneic HSCT were genotyped to evaluate if germline genetic variants associated with tacrolimus PK and pharmacodynamic (PD) variability.

Impact of an innovative partnership in patient care between an academic medical center department of pharmacy and a school of pharmacy.

Purpose: Pharmacy departments and schools of pharmacy have long held professional affiliations. However, the success of each entity is often not interdependent and aligned. In 2010, our institutions found ourselves in a position where the complementary motivations of each aligned to support a more meaningful and committed engagement, leading to the development of the Partnership in Patient Care.

Implementation of the flipped residency research model to enhance residency research training.

Purpose: The attainment of fundamental research skills to create and disseminate new knowledge is imperative for the advancement of pharmacy practice. Research training is an important component of postgraduate residency training; however, the traditional model of performing residency research has several limitations that have hindered the ability of residents to complete high-quality research projects. Therefore, our institution developed and implemented the flipped residency research model with the 2013-2014 pharmacy practice residency class.

Evaluation of a Test Dose Strategy for Pharmacokinetically-Guided Busulfan Dosing for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Targeted busulfan dosing helps limit chemotherapy-related toxicity and optimize disease outcomes in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). The objective of this study was to evaluate busulfan exposure from a pharmacokinetic (PK)-guided dosing strategy using a test dose. This retrospective evaluation included adult patients who underwent HCT at our institution with busulfan-based myeloablative (>9 mg/kg) conditioning between January 2014 and October 2015.

ReCAP: Pharmacists' Impact in Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation: Economic and Humanistic Outcomes.

Purpose: This study seeks to evaluate the impact of pharmacists' involvement in the care of patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT).

Methods: This was a three-phase study. In phase 1, inpatient and outpatient pharmacist encounters were totaled and services provided were translated to revenue generated from prescription revenue and billing charges.

Impact of Pharmacy Residency Research Training on Residents' Actual Versus Perceived Ability and Interest to Identify and Solve Practice-Related Problems.

Purpose: The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) requires that accredited residency programs provide pharmacy residents the opportunity to perform a practice-based project. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of pharmacy residency research training on residents' actual versus perceived ability to solve practice-related problems in their professional careers.

Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy practice residents who completed training at a large academic medical center between 2007 and 2013.

Effectiveness of an algorithm-based approach to the utilization of plerixafor in patients undergoing chemotherapy-based stem cell mobilization.

Autologous stem cell transplantation remains a mainstay of therapy for diseases such as multiple myeloma and relapsed lymphoma. The use of plerixafor has been shown to augment the ability to collect adequate stem cells, but the optimal use of this agent when used with chemotherapy is not yet clear. We utilized an algorithm-based approach with the addition of plerixafor to 54 patients undergoing chemomobilization with reduced-dose etoposide who had a less than optimal preapheresis CD34(+) cell count.

Utilization of collaborative practice agreements between physicians and pharmacists as a mechanism to increase capacity to care for hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

Survival after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has improved and the number of allogeneic HSCTs performed annually in the United States is expected to reach 10,000 by 2015. The National Marrow Donor Program created the System Capacity Initiative to formulate mechanisms to care for the growing number of HSCT recipients. One proposed method to increase capacity is utilization of pharmacists to manage drug therapy via collaborative practice agreements (CPAs).

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: optimizing prevention and management.

Background: Nausea and vomiting are serious side effects of cancer chemotherapy that can cause significant negative impacts on patients' quality of life and on their ability to tolerate and comply with therapy. Despite advances in the prevention and management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), these side effects remain among the most distressing for patients.

Objective: To discuss CINV and the current pharmacologic approaches to its management.

The oncology pharmacy in cancer care delivery in a resource-constrained setting in western Kenya.

The movement to deliver cancer care in resource-limited settings is gaining momentum, with particular emphasis on the creation of cost-effective, rational algorithms utilizing affordable chemotherapeutics to treat curable disease. The delivery of cancer care in resource-replete settings is a concerted effort by a team of multidisciplinary care providers. The oncology pharmacy, which is now considered integral to cancer care in resourced medical practice, developed over the last several decades in an effort to limit healthcare provider exposure to workplace hazards and to limit risk to patients.

Antiemetics: American Society of Clinical Oncology clinical practice guideline update.

Purpose: To update the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guideline for antiemetics in oncology.

Methods: A systematic review of the medical literature was completed to inform this update. MEDLINE, the Cochrane Collaboration Library, and meeting materials from ASCO and the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer were all searched.

Plerixafor dosing and administration in a patient with dialysis-dependent renal failure.

Objective: To report on the use of plerixafor in a patient with multiple myeloma and dialysis-dependent renal failure.

Case Summary: A 38-year-old man with multiple myeloma and dialysis-dependent renal failure was evaluated for stem cell transplantation. Stem cell mobilization with 6 doses of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) 10 μg/kg/day yielded an inadequate maximum pre-apheresis CD34+ count of 5.

Lenalidomide in the treatment of multiple myeloma.

Purpose: The pharmacology, clinical use, adverse effects, dosage and administration, and cost of lenalidomide in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) are reviewed.

Summary: Lenalidomide is an analogue of thalidomide and has been shown to be more potent than thalidomide in the stimulation of T-cell, interleukin-2, and interferon-gamma production. Both drugs have direct cytotoxic effects on myeloma cells and are capable of inducing apoptosis.

A phase II trial of docetaxel and vinorelbine in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Recent studies of docetaxel have demonstrated improved survival over mitoxantrone and prednisone in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC), supporting the study of novel docetaxel-containing regimens as primary therapy or following initial docetaxel-based therapy. To evaluate the combination of docetaxel and vinorelbine in the treatment of patients with HRPC, 40 patients with proven adenocarcinoma of the prostate with progressive metastatic disease despite androgen ablation were enrolled onto this phase II trial. Patients were treated with docetaxel 60 mg/m2 on day 1 and vinorelbine 15 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle.

State-of-the-art treatment of metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Initial therapy for advanced prostate cancer includes androgen ablation by surgical or medical castration. Still, nearly all men with metastases will progress to hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Current U.