APhA Member News
A minute with…
Tosin David, PharmD, BC-ADM
Assistant professor of pharmacy practice and administration, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne
Pharmacist, Apple Discount Drugs, Salisbury, MD
Member since 2012
APhA offers a structured and exciting pathway that helps fuel my passion for patient care. APhA provides opportunities to connect with like-minded practitioners across the nation who are advancing pharmacy practice through various initiatives. I am also able to pay it forward by serving as a New Practitioner Mentor for the next generation of pharmacists. Staying involved keeps me rejuvenated and connected with the community I serve.”
How has APhA helped you establish meaningful connections?
One of my most meaningful APhA connections occurred as a student pharmacist with one of my preceptors in another state. As a student, I pursued unique clerkship opportunities, and one of them ended up being an academic rotation at another school of pharmacy. My preceptor was heavily involved with APhA and was an active new practitioner at the time. I admired her and was able to gain insight into her academic role and previous training as a community pharmacy resident. I briefly heard about community residencies prior to my rotation but did not realize how much the experience would align with my career goals. Under my preceptor’s mentorship, I ended up pursuing not only a community pharmacy residency but also a career in academia. To this day, I stay connected with my preceptor through APhA.
How does APhA help you thrive in your everyday practice?
APhA provides up-to-date, evidence-based research and best practices for clinical services, which I find useful in my pharmacy setting. I also enjoy the various ENGAGE platforms, which provide more of a patient-specific interaction where student pharmacists and pharmacists all over discuss different topics and issues they see with their patients. In academia, I utilize PharmacyLibrary as a resource to engage student pharmacists to learn various subjects and prepare for their clerkship experiences and licensure.
What excites you about the profession of pharmacy?
Innovation and improving health outcomes. The health care team has a better understanding of the pharmacist’s role in enhancing care than in years past. As the profession continues to evolve, it is imperative that we track and highlight the positive impact pharmacists create in various settings.
The focus of health care in the United States has shifted to quality. Pharmacists are one of the best health professionals to improve quality of care and health outcomes. I also favor the idea of performing a wide variety of tasks throughout my career from public health to drug information, dispensing, telehealth, and economics—the options are endless. I truly believe that now is the most opportune time to be a pharmacist, as long as you have a good work ethic and creativity.
Can you share a meaningful story about a patient interaction?
I was providing an immunization for a Medicare patient who did not fill her prescriptions at the pharmacy. She mentioned she understood the importance of taking her medications but just could not afford them. She tried samples but did not know what to do after that, and she did not qualify for prescription savings programs. I reviewed her medications and her formulary, and discussed ways she could afford them. I then spoke to her provider and recommended some agents that were preferred on her current plan. By doing this, I ensured the patient could adhere to her medications. She returned during open enrollment season, and we worked together to select her insurance plan for the upcoming year. She was so ecstatic and thankful for my help that she brought her relatives and friend. This one small intervention turned into a loyal customer for the pharmacy.
New opioid resource available for pharmacists and technicians
APhA has teamed up with Walmart to offer a free online training program on opioid stewardship to all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the United States.
“Pharmacists are on the front lines and may often be the first to recognize opioid-related issues,” said Dan Zlott, PharmD, APhA senior vice president of education and business development. “That’s why we believe it is so important to arm them with knowledge about addiction, recovery, and treatment options, as well as the latest information about pain management approaches and alternatives to opioids.”
The customized pharmacist program contains 6.5 hours of training and education, including a pain management curriculum.
The online training program was originally developed in 2018 for Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacists. Through an unrestricted educational grant provided to APhA by Walmart, the program is now available for free to all pharmacists in the country during a time when parts of the country are experiencing increased opioid-related overdoses as access to social and treatment networks are disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pharmacy technicians will also have free access to program courses.
Did you know?
Check out the new quick guide to opioid use disorder pharmacotherapy
APhA’s new Opioid Use Disorder Pharmacotherapy resource provides links to evidence-based treatment guidelines, plus an overview of pharmacologic agents used for the treatment of opioid use disorder and overdose reversal. Only for APhA members, the quick guide was developed by the APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice & Management (APhA–APPM) Pain, Palliative Care, and Addiction Special Interest Group (SIG). Check it out at www.pharmacist.com/tools/OUD-Pharmacotherapy.
Get Involved in APhA
Diabetes Management SIG
The mission of the APhA-APPM Diabetes Management Special Interest Group (SIG) is to create a support network for pharmacists and student pharmacists who share an interest in diabetes management. The APhA-APPM Diabetes Management SIG allows those in this area of practice to connect with others in the field and discuss up-to-date disease management information.
Members of this SIG can share education materials, clinical updates, training events, and other information related to the care of patients with diabetes. The SIG is also a home for pharmacists and student pharmacists to share planning information for community service events geared toward patients with diabetes. Learn more at www.pharmacist.com/diabetes-management-sig.
Members in motion
David Nau honored by the APhA Foundation
Ohio Northern University (ONU) faculty recently received two 2020 Pinnacle Awards from the APhA Foundation. ONU HealthWise, the campus and community wellness initiative, and David Nau, RPh, professor of social and administrative pharmacy, and an ONU pharmacy alumnus, were the award recipients for two of the three annual categories.
ONU HealthWise received the 2020 award in the category of nonprofit organizations, and Nau received the 2020 award in individual career achievement. In addition, Amy Beatty, senior director of pharmacy services, population health of OhioHealth, the award recipient in the category of health systems, is another ONU alumnus who received her PharmD from the university in 2003.
Nau recently joined ONU as a faculty member. Prior to his return to his alma mater, he held tenured faculty and administrative appointments at several colleges of pharmacy. He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed articles in addition to coauthoring the book Quality & Safety in Pharmacy Practice. He received his pharmacy degree from ONU in 1989, and then went on to earn an MS degree from the University of Toledo and a PhD from the University of Florida.
“Polar Bears are leaders in the profession, and the national recognition from APhA for our alumni and programs is something for which every Polar Bear pharmacist can be proud,” said Steven Martin, PharmD, dean of the ONU Raabe College of Pharmacy.