APhA Member News
APhA Staff
A minute with …
Bernadette Asias-Dinh, PharmD
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston; and
Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacist, Vecino Health Centers – Denver Harbor Family Health Center, Houston
Member since 2007
“Being an APhA member has been valuable throughout my career, from student member to practicing pharmacist. I was lucky enough as a student to gain career guidance, practice leadership skills, and obtain a scholarship which helped me be the pharmacist I am today. Now, APhA is a valuable resource for practice both clinically and administratively, from [providing information] on issues in other areas of pharmacy to leadership and volunteer opportunities to helping me continue to build my network. APhA advocates effectively for the progression and protection of our profession, and I feel there are approachable avenues through APhA for my voice to be heard.”
How has APhA helped you establish meaningful connections?
APhA has a broad range of opportunities to collaborate and network across the nation. This is what I’ve been able to with the Diabetes Management Special Interest Group. Through working with committee members, I have met pharmacists in practice areas similar to mine who have been great resources for other areas of my career.
Additionally, the programming at conferences allows for building these connections through collaborative active learning and small-group discussions.
How does APhA help you thrive in your everyday practice?
APhA helps keep me abreast of the latest issues in pharmacy in various areas: clinical, administrative, and legislative. I’m in academia with a practice area in ambulatory care and a passion for diabetes management. There are resources available for being an effective educator, establishing and maintaining an ambulatory care practice, and the latest updates on holistic diabetes management. Additionally, I am able to discover opportunities to advocate for policy pertinent to ambulatory care pharmacy.
Getting a glimpse of issues that other areas of pharmacy are experiencing allows me to have a bird’s-eye view of our profession, which is valuable as an educator to trainees interested in a variety of areas of pharmacy. I love that APhA provides me with day-to-day resources in my practice and a more comprehensive view of the profession and the issues that impact it.
What excites you about the profession of pharmacy?
I firmly believe that pharmacists are one of the most effective bridges between evidence-based medicine and patients. Our education is not only focused on evidence-based medicine and critical thinking. but also social, behavioral, and communication aspects of care that allow us to effectively collaborate and provide patient-centered care.
Evidence has shown that we can improve humanistic and clinical outcomes for patients. I’m excited to see pharmacists continue to grow in this area and help bridge disparities in effective management of chronic diseases.
Can you share a meaningful story about a time you interacted with a patient? Perhaps a time you felt like you really made a difference for them?
During an initial visit with a patient for diabetes management, he said, “I’ve had diabetes for almost 10 years, and nobody has been able to get it under control. I’m not trying to be ugly, but I don’t think we’ll get to [our] goal.”
It was his first time working with a pharmacist. Visits were comprehensive, but I spent most of the time listening to his concerns and goals.
We made patient-centered changes to his overall self-management of diabetes and his medications over 6 months. Successes included increasing his vegetable intake to twice a day, improving self-efficacy, improved medication adherence to 100%, and decreasing medication burden and risk for hypoglycemia via medication changes through a collaborative practice agreement. His A1C decreased from 11.1% to 6.8% in this 6-month timeframe; but more importantly, he felt more in control of his diabetes and felt healthier overall.
Afterward, he was thankful for the opportunity to work with me and my pharmacy students. ■
Did you know?
APhA’s Books and Digital Publishing Department is seeking members to serve on its Editorial Advisory Board for a 3-year term.
Responsibilities of the EAB members
■ Advise APhA staff on pharmacy education curriculum changes, trends in pharmacy education and practice, and preferable formats for published resources (on print, web, and mobile).
■ Recommend new books or electronic products that are needed by pharmacists, student pharmacists, or pharmacy technicians.
■ Recommend outstanding prospective authors and assist APhA staff in encouraging publication with APhA.
■ Review book proposals and book manuscripts or recommend qualified peer reviewers who can do so.
■ Provide timely opinions on concise issues to APhA staff when contacted by phone or email.
Members should expect to commit an estimated 2–3 hours per month and to attend quarterly virtual meetings. Please direct any questions to Jesse Vineyard (jvineyard@aphanet.org). ■
APhA advocacy
In response to the Dobbs v Jackson ruling, APhA has created numerous resources to help pharmacists navigate the nuances of how pharmacy practice has been affected.
Listening sessions were held to hear directly from members about their personal experiences and perspectives on the topic. The information shared during these sessions are being used to formulate policy and guide APhA efforts going forward.
Additionally, an informational overview of the latest legal and regulatory actions in the states as well as a review of medications that can be used for abortion and emergency contraception was featured as part of APhA’s Pulse on Practice and Policy Open Forum Series. Members can visit www.aphadruginfoline.com/Practice/Practice-Resources/Pulse-On-Practice-Policy to watch the recording of this webinar.
The association has created a landing page for reproductive health care that is updated regularly with new resources and information. Find definitions of key terminology, APhA statements, and more information on this page. Visit pharmacist.com/Advocacy/Issues/Reproductive-Health to see the latest resources and updates. ■
Get involved in APhA
Interested in diabetes management? The Diabetes Management Special Interest Group (SIG) offers a support network of pharmacists and student pharmacists to connect and discuss up-to-date disease management information.
Members will be able to share education materials, clinical updates, training events, and other information related to the care of patients with diabetes. APhA–APPM Diabetes Management SIG provides members a professional community of pharmacists involved in all aspects of patient-centered care.
“My favorite thing about being involved in the Diabetes SIG is getting to know and work with pharmacists across the country. These personal and networking connections unique to the SIG help clinically, as I can collaborate with other clinicians to see how they are managing their diabetes services. Being involved has helped with career development as well as personal development to fulfill the passion of helping others while gaining leadership experience,” said Aimee Dawson, PharmD, associate professor of pharmacy practice, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and Diabetes Management SIG coordinator.
Visit our volunteer page at www.pharmacist.com/volunteer for more information. ■