The anadian ssociation

The Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology
Association Canadienne de Pharmacie en Oncologie
Newsletter
Winter 2005
Presidents Message
With New Year, I begin my mandate as President
of CAPhO and I am very proud and honoured to
be a part of oncology pharmacy in Canada. I
would like to thank all the members of the CAPhO
executive, all the members of the NOPS 2005
organizing committee as well as members of the
Awards committee for a job well done in 2005. I
know that 2006 will be a great year for CAPhO as
we celebrate our 10th birthday!
I would personally like to thank our Past President,
Lynne Nakashima, for everything that she has
done over the years, and is continuing to do for
CAPhO. Her work within CAPhO has been very
inspiring and I hope that I will be able to pursue
where she left off.
There is a lot happening within CAPhO. We have
the NOPS 2006 organizing committee up and
running. We are discussing the possibility of
establishing and strengthening ISOPP and
CAPhO relations on an educational level. Very
soon, we will be awarding two travel grants of
$2000 to CAPhO members to help them attend
ISOPP in April 2006 in Malaysia. We are also
putting together a survey to consult our members -
to find out what is expected of the CAPhO
executive, where would you like to see your
organization involved, and where you see the
practice of oncology pharmacy going. Your
comments and insights are crucially important.
With the arrival of the New Year, the time for
CAPhO members to renew their membership is
also here. Membership is still only $40.00 and
may be paid on-line or by sending a cheque to the
Treasurer.
I would like all CAPhO members to know that I
would like to hear from you. We need your input,
your thoughts, and your initiatives; this is what will
make CAPhO move forward.
Gabriel Gazzé
CAPhO President
*****************************************************
NCIC Report
Submitted by Susan Walisser
The NCIC Pharmacists Network has continued to
be active over the last year. The Pharmacists
Network password protected section of the NCIC
website continues to be populated with a variety of
tools to assist pharmacists in the conduct of NCIC
Clinical Trials. You will find English and French
versions of templates that can be used for the
creation of Pharmacy Procedures and
Investigational Drug Information. Although the
goal is to have completed templates for each
NCIC trial, currently only BR.24 and OV.17 are
available. These should assist pharmacists by
either replacing the need to create this information
or by acting as a resource for the standardized
information required by your particular institution.
You will also find a variety of accountability logs
posted as they are completed. Currently, an
Investigational Agent Accountability Log has been
approved by NCI US so it can be used for both
NCIC and NCI US trials. In the works are also a
log for trials that are blinded, a variety of
temperature logs and a log for the documentation
of monitor's visits. The hope is that pharmacists
will get in the habit of using this website and find it
a valuable resource for their Clinical Trials
responsibilities.
Other recent activities include:

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Biljana Spirovski continues to chair the Research
subcommittee of the Network. Carlo de Angelis
and Sean Hopkins have been spearheading the
development of pharmacy research within the
NCIC. Proposals are in process for research into
patient drug compliance, and a survey will be
conducted of other Clinical Trials Cooperative
Groups to determine the activities of their
pharmacists. Research will also be undertaken in
the area of pharmacist's compliance with Good
Clinical Practice guidelines.
Ing Collins is our new representative to the CRA
Education subcommittee. She will be working to
provide educational opportunities for pharmacists
attending the Annual Spring meeting of the NCIC,
which is to be held April 27-30, 2006 in Montreal.
All pharmacists active in Clinical Trials should
consider attending this meeting.
The Steering Group is undertaking a revision of
the Pharmacists Network Manual to ensure that it
addresses all of the Health Canada requirements.
If you have any questions or comments regarding
the NCIC Pharmacists Network or are interested
in becoming more active (by volunteering to be an
area representative on the Steering group or a
Disease Site Representative on the Executive of a
major disease site group), please contact myself
at [email protected] or the co-chair of the
Steering Committee Marlene Sellon at
[email protected]h.ca.
*****************************************************
Website Update
Submitted by Dana Cole
Check us out at capho.org!
Our website has moved. Please bookmark
www.capho.org as the official CAPhO website.
After careful review of all the submissions, we are
pleased to announce that, we have selected a
new web design company, Indigo Ink. Although
we have a new look, much of the information can
be recognized as being similar to the old site. The
format of the new discussion forum has changed a
bit. Although we are not able to continue
discussion on the old forum topics (predating
2006), you can still read the old discussion on the
new website and repost the topic in the new area
if you would like to continue the discussion on a
particular topic
We are looking to expand the events section to
include details of past events such as
presentations. If you have presented recently and
are willing to post your presentation for viewing on
the website in a members-only area, please
forward submissions to the webmaster or to Dana
at [e-mail]. If you are
interested in a section highlighting articles of
interest in the literature, please send us feedback
on this as well. We would also like to post photos
of Canadian Oncology Pharmacists at work – so if
you have any to share, please pass them along.
We hope you like the new look and want continue
to improve it - so if you have submissions for the
site or ideas for improvement, please let us know!
*****************************************************
NOPS 2006
Submitted by Kim Stefaniuk, Education Chair
Mark your calendars — the National Oncology
Pharmacy Symposium (NOPS 2006) will be held
in Montreal, Quebec, October 13-15, 2006 at the
Hyatt Regency hotel.
Planning is well underway for what promises to be
another excellent symposium. Martin Franco
(Quebec), Victoria Kyritsis (British Columbia) and
Larry Broadfield (Nova Scotia) are the chairs for
NOPS 2006. Organizing committee members are:
Susan Walisser (British Columbia), Roxanne
Dobish and Thanh Vu from Alberta, Pat Trozzo
and Venetia Bourrier (Manitoba), Sandy
Linsemann and Flay Charbonneau (Ontario),
Nadia Drouin (Quebec), Scott Edwards
(Newfoundland), and the excellent staff at Sea to
Sky Meeting Management. Thank you to all of
them in advance for their hard work.
Details about poster submissions and the program
will be posted at a later date on the CAPhO
website. Stay tuned for more details on another
exciting NOPS!
*****************************************************
ISOPP X

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Submitted by Kim Stefaniuk
The tenth International Symposium on Oncology
Pharmacy Practice will be held in Kuala Lumpur,
in beautiful Malaysia, April 3-6th 2006. Several
CAPhO members, Carole Chambers, Kim
Stefaniuk, and John Wiernikowski are invited
speakers; join them and other CAPhO colleagues
for an exciting oncology pharmacy educational
event. See www.isopp.org for details.
*****************************************************
The Awards Committee
Submitted by Flay Charbonneau
The CAPhO Awards Committee, consisting of
Flay Charbonneau (chair), Susan Walisser, Dana
Cole, Kathy Gesy and John Wiernikowski are
pleased to announce the winners of the two travel
grants for ISOPP X in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Betty Riddell submitted: "Pediatric Cancer Long
Term Survival and Late Effects Study, 1984-1987
& 1989-2000: A Preliminary Report" by K. Ali, B.
Riddell & C. Mpofu, Saskatoon Cancer Centre,
Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy and Nutrition,
University of Saskatchewan
John Wiernikowski submitted (and withdrew from
judging): "Preliminary Experience in the Use of
Alendronate for the Treatment of Osteopenia in
Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia" by
R. Barr, C. Lethaby, J. Wiernikowski, M. Noronha,
A. Sala & C. Webber, McMaster Children's
Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada, Hamilton Health
Sciences, Hamilton, ON, Canada, McMaster
University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, University of
Leeds, Leeds, UK, University of Milan-Biocca,
Monza, Italy.
We extend our hearty congratulations and wishes
for a successful conference to Betty and John.
*****************************************************
Meet the CAPhO Executive
Gabriel Gazze, President
Gabriel graduated from the faculty of pharmacy of
the University of Montreal in 1991. After
completing a hospital residency in 1992, he
worked at the McGill University Health Center at
the Royal Victoria Hospital. He began his work in
oncology in 1994. His focus has been in the
heme-oncology field because of the challenge of
continually learning new things, the direct patient
contact, and the multidisciplinary interaction with
other health-care professionals. In addition to
being involved with the CAPhO executive since
2000, Gabriel has also been a member of the
NCIC Pharmacists Network Steering Group. He
would like to encourage all CAPhO members to
get involved actively in CAPhO.
Dana Cole, President-Elect
Dana grew up in the beautiful Annapolis Valley of
Nova Scotia completing here B.Sc.Phm. at
Dalhousie University in Halifax. After finishing a
residency at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in
Halifax, she moved west to do a Pharm.D. at the
University of British Columbia. She has worked as
a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist with the Northern
Health Authority and as an Oncology Drug
Information Specialist for a brief time with the BC
Cancer Agency. Dana currently provides clinical
pharmacy services to the Cancer Care Clinic at
Prince George Regional Hospital and coordinates
the Pharmacy Residency Program with Northern
Health in Prince George, BC. Since February of
2005, she has been working half time with the
Northern Medical Program, a branch of UBC
Medical Program assisting in the education of
medical students with a focus on their
pharmacology and prescribing education.
For recreation, she enjoys getting muddy in the
pottery studio, cross country skiing, cycling,
horseback riding, hiking and playing violin. Within
CAPhO, she is responsible for liaising with the
webmaster for revisions to the website. She is
very excited to be part of the CAPhO exec and is
looking forward to the years ahead as we continue
to grow.
Lynne Nakashima, Past President
Lynn completed her undergraduate training at the
University of British Columbia and a Pharm.D. at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Currently she is the Pharmacy Professional
Practice Leader at the B.C. Cancer Agency in
Vancouver. Her involvement with CAPhO and
oncology pharmacy professional organizations
dates back to her time with the NCIC Pharmacists
Network, where she was involved with the first

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Steering Committee. Lynn is married with two
boys, Ben and Sam. She is also involved with
minor hockey in her community, and enjoys
golfing when time permits!
John Wiernikowski, Treasurer
Bio not available.
Kathy Gesy, Secretary
Bio not available.
Susan Walisser, NCIC Representative
Susan has been involved in oncology in some
capacity for most of her career. After her
undergrad degree at the University of British
Columbia, she completed a residency at
Vancouver Hospital where she developed an
interest in pediatrics. Her interest in pediatrics
continued after moving to Victoria, where she
began working with children diagnosed with
cancer - attending care conferences,
developing protocols and care plans for the
families. Eventually she joined the BC Cancer
Agency's Victoria Cancer Clinic, and after many
years of clinical practice has now moved into a
leadership role. Susan is the current Chair of
the Provincial Pharmacy Professional Practice
Council and is the Pharmacy Professional
Practice Leader for the Vancouver Island
Centre. She very much enjoys working with
staff in each of the four cancer centres in
Vancouver, Surrey, Kelowna and Victoria.
Kimberly Stefaniuk, Education Representative
Familiar to many of you as NOPS co-chair for
many years, Kim is currently CAPhO's
Education Chair. A graduate of the University
of Saskatchewan, she is currently a palliative
care pharmacist at Princess Margaret Hospital
and Oncology Pharmacy Education Coordinator
for Cancer Care Ontario. When not organizing
conferences, Kim can be found in her garden,
travelling, or playing the harp.
Tim van Helvert, Communications officer
Tim completed his undergrad degree at the
University of Toronto, and has spent most of his
career in a community hospital setting. His
involvement in oncology practice over the last 5
years has also included responsibilities with
clinical trials. His role as communications officer
encompasses editing the CAPhO newsletter.
Outside of work, Tim has been involved in
volunteer mobile medical clinics in Guatemala,
and he also enjoys scuba diving and ballroom
dancing.
Colleen Olson, Member at Large
Colleen is a graduate of the University of
Saskatchewan and is currently, employed by the
Saskatchewan Cancer Agency where she is
involved in clinical trials and administrative
activities with the pharmacy in Saskatoon. She is
also a sessional lecturer at the College of
Pharmacy, U of S, on Natural Health Products,
and is a new member with the NCIC Pharmacists
Network Steering Group. On a personal level, she
is married, with one teenage son, one dog and
one husband.
George Dranitsaris, Member at Large
George is an oncology research pharmacist with
graduate training in biostatistics, health
economics, decision analysis and clinical
epidemiology. For 8 years, he was the
Coordinator of Health Economics and Outcomes
Research at Ontario Cancer Institute/ Princess
Margaret Hospital. He is currently a consultant to
the pharmaceutical industry and public health care
institutions such as Health Canada and Cancer
Care Ontario. His areas of interest include the
measurement of cost effective drug use and
quality of life in the oncology setting, clinical trial
design, the development and implementation of
clinical practice guidelines and the application of
statistical modeling techniques for the evaluation
of pharmaceuticals. He has numerous
publications in peer-reviewed journals and holds
several national and international awards. He is
also a Fellow with the Canadian Society of
Hospital Pharmacists.