Current Employment

BMT Pharmacy Program Coordinator & PGY2 Residency Director | St. Luke’s Cancer Institute

Election Statement

It is an honor to be considered as a candidate for president-elect of HOPA. I believe that I am in a unique position to serve HOPA based on my breadth of experiences as a mid-career clinician. In my years of practice, I have had the privilege of working on the front line of patient care as well as starting new programs within my institution. I have also helped others do the same, either through collaboration within my organization or through collaboration with other organizations throughout the country. I believe that, as president, I can help HOPA ensure continuity in exposure to the very diverse membership we have, ranging from those who may be the only pharmacist at their respective practice site to those who are part of a large-scale multidisciplinary and specialized institution. The strategic plan of HOPA is a well laid out roadmap for the organization’s future and my goal is to ensure that it can be applied equally to all of our current and future members regardless of background, training, patient population or geographic location. Coming from a small state that is often overlooked as a leader in oncology care, I believe that I have been able to help put Idaho on the map as a location for quality cancer care and I believe that experience will help ensure I can also push HOPA into a greater role as a leader in oncology.

The past leaders of HOPA have made amazing strides in my time as a member and I believe I can continue that progress. This can be achieved through a few key initiatives, first to ensure we are providing opportunities for earlier exposure to oncology training in pharmacy schools and ensuring a quality applicant pool entering into residency or on-the-job training. I have seen over the years how many pharmacists develop a passion for oncology too late to get those earlier career opportunities (i.e. IPPES, APPEs, residency rotations, etc.) I know we are passionate about what we do and we can share that earlier in pharmacy training. Second, I would like to continue to develop new and more engaging presentations at conferences that go beyond the standard didactic presentations of many conferences these days.

Lastly, I think we, as pharmacists, have an amazing opportunity to be the professional leaders in oncology practice management, supportive care and quality improvement. Therefore, we need to focus on how to not only encourage project management, but also train-the-trainers so we can expand our reach as much as possible. HOPA is the starting point, but it relies on its members to put the plans into action, so support of our members is the key to our success. I hope that this gives you a glimpse into my vision (in less than 500 words) and I would appreciate your support as your future president for HOPA!