Pharmacy Focus

Jill Simonian, PharmD , received her PharmD from UCSF, followed by an acute care residency at UCSD Medical Center. Her professional career includes 25 years as a clinical pharmacist at the VA San Diego Healthcare System and a brief time as a part-time pharmacist at an independent pharmacy in Carlsbad.  She is currently conducting a course on Cannabis Pharmacology and Therapeutics at UC San Diego S...

Learn more about In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda and the In Our Voice Action Fund .

This episode of Pharmacy Focus, Oncology Edition highlights key insights from the 2024 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, covering new FDA-approved therapies, dose optimization strategies, and innovative prevention approaches in breast cancer care.

Expert discussed benefits of precision oncology treatments that utilize thousands of biomarkers to design personalized treatment plans.

Dr. Amina Abubakar is CEO at Avant Pharmacy and Wellness. You can connect with her on LinkedIn here . Dr. Stephen Lewis, FAAPMR, is National Medical Director of the Physiatry-Pharmacy Collaborative (PPC). You can connect with him on LinkedIn here . The Avant Institute annual symposium will take place January 31st to February 1st, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina at Queens University. To learn mo...

Expert discussed the potential of pelareorep, a novel immunotherapeutic agent, in treating advanced or metastatic breast cancer, particularly in HR-positive, HER2-negative patients, and the plans for further clinical development of pelareorep in this indication.

Thomas Chen, MD, PhD discussed his innovative approach to brain cancer treatment through NeOnc, Inc. 

In this episode, host Dr. Christina Madison interviews Jessica Steier, DrPH, PMP, CEO of Vital Statistics Consulting, and the founder and CEO of Unbiased Science, on her journey in public health and entrepreneurship. In a period of misinformation and disinformation, both Madison and Steier discuss the importance of creating informed, evidence-based decisions within health care. Key Takeaways: Data...

Expert shares reasons why many women are behind on their annual breast cancer screenings, along with the latest cutting edge treatment in the breast cancer space. 

The Alzheimer disease treatment landscape is rapidly changing, with several new FDA-approved antibody therapies that target amyloid plaque and aim to slow disease progression. While the controversial approval of aducanumab faced challenges, newer drugs like lecanemab and donanemab have shown more promising results in clinical trials, demonstrating cognitive benefits. Additionally, the pipeline inc...

In this episode, host Dr. Christina Madison interviews the co-CEOs of Healthcare Advocate Summit Melissa Paige, BPHM, CPhT, MTM, president of National Association of Medication Access & Patient Advocacy (NAMAPA), and Elizabeth Johnson, CEO of MedicoCX, and president and co-founder of NAMAPA on Healthcare Advocate Summit and its mission. They describe how collaboration, education, and advocacy...

Olivia Kinney, PharmD, a national pharmacy practice manager at Kroger, emphasized the importance of pharmacists addressing the growing issue of vaccine hesitancy. She noted that common reasons for hesitancy include concerns about adverse effects, misinformation, access barriers, and social/political influences. Kinney advised that pharmacists can build trust by actively listening to patients' conc...

In this episode, host Dr. Christina Madison interviews Dr. Frank North, president of the National Pharmaceutical Association and assistant professor at the Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy. They discuss North's leadership journey and advocacy efforts to increase representation and support for minority pharmacists, while emphasizing the importance of mentorship, networking, and collaboration w...

Jennifer Dunphy, DrPH, MBA, MPH and Nelly Awkar-Lazo, MD, discuss the rise in young-onset cancer, the gut-colon cancer link, and the importance of healthy lifestyle choices for cancer prevention.

In this episode, host Dr. Christina Madison interviews Aleata Postell, group director of pharmacy business development, Walmart, to discuss the significance of specialty pharmacy services—particularly related to HIV care—in public health. Postell highlights how Walmart has initiatives that support HIV care and testing. Key Takeaways: Community Pharmacy's Role in Public Health: The episode highligh...

Jeffrey Goad, PharmD, MPH, professor and associate dean of Academic Affairs at Chapman University School of Pharmacy, shares crucial advice for summer travelers and what to know about their medication. He emphasizes the importance of proper medication management, including packing enough for the trip plus extra, keeping medications in carry-on luggage, and being aware of country-specific restricti...

In this episode, host Dr. Christina Madison interviews Dr. Bolu Oladini, PharmD, author, global medical affairs, generative AI medical content lead, Pfizer, to discuss the intersections of pharmacy, medical affairs, and AI. Dr. Oladini describes the importance of following one’s interest, and using those passions to one’s advantage when building on a career. Both Dr. Madison and Dr. Oladini also s...

This month, we spoke with Natasha B. Leighl, BSc, MMSc, MD, Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada. Leighl discussed the PALOMA-3 trial results, shared at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2024 Conference.

On this episode of Pharmacy Focus, experts discuss World Psychedelics Day, which is June 20. Experts will also discuss goals of World Psychedelics Day in increasing awareness and appreciation of psychedelics' therapeutic potential while honoring traditional knowledge. Experts cover the history of psychedelics, current research on psychedelic therapies for conditions like PTSD and depression, and f...

This episode of Pharmacy Focus discusses the important role pharmacists can play in promoting mental health care for patients. Molly McGraw, PharmD, BCPS, coordinator of Pharmacy Quality UPMC Health Plan and Kim Castelnovo, RPh, Pharmacy Manager at Community Care Behavioral Health Organization, talk about the importance of mental health care for patients, how pharmacists can educate patients on th...

In this special Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention month episode, host Dr. Christina Madison interviews Emma White, the founder and president of the nonprofit organization Life Is Worth It, who shares her struggles with mental health as a teenager, and how she used her experience to educate others and give back to her community. White is also the Statewide Youth Suicide Prevention Coor...

Pharmacists from Mayo Clinic recap some of the latest treatment opportunities to advance patient care in the oncology space.