Six Keck Graduate Institute Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) faculty and staff members will present on various topics at the 2022 California Society of Health-System Pharmacists (CSHP) Seminar from November 9-13.

Faculty and staff members include Professor of Practice Dr. Daniel Kudo, Associate Professor of Administrative Sciences Dr. Nazia Rashid, Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences Dr. Stephanie Kourtakis, Associate Professor of Clinical and Administrative Sciences Dr. Armen Simonian, Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences Dr. Rebecca Tran, and Admissions Outreach Representative John Lacey.

This year’s seminar will take place at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim and is themed “Champions of Health: The Rise of Pharmacy.” The seminar offers keynote speakers, a residency and fellowship showcase, an industry exhibit hall, CV review opportunities, university resources, and more.

Simonian’s “Pharmacy Practice in the Metaverse” presentation will focus on social media and its potential for pharmacist and patient communication.

“I wanted to present a topic at the cutting edge of information technology and pharmacy practice,” Simonian said.

“I am excited to give a ‘heads-up’ to my west coast pharmacy colleagues regarding the future opportunities for a novel form of pharmacist-patient interaction, namely telepharmacy via virtual reality.”

Lacey’s presentation, “A Pharmacy Technician’s Journey to Expand on their Experience: A Motivational Discovery of Career Pathways,” will focus on the transferable skills within pharmacy technicians and the career opportunities that may be available.

“I spent 10 years working as a pharmacy technician, which has kept me in an interesting and fulfilling career,” Lacey said. “I am excited to share my journey and motivate others on where their pharmacy-related careers can go!”

Kudo will moderate two different panels on the second day of the conference. The first panel will include up to eight residency and fellowship preceptors and will provide students with insights into what successful residents and fellows have in common.

The second panel, “Residency and Fellowships: A Day in the Life,” will feature up to eight residents and fellows and will provide information on what a resident or fellow does on an average day. Additionally, the panelists will provide insights on the elements of their strategy that resulted in acceptance to their program.

Rashid and Kourtakis will co-host the session, “Addressing the Current Pharmacy Perspective of Pharmacogenomics and the Economic Value Proposition.” This session will provide pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with up-to-date information about the current benefits, barriers, and economic impact of pharmacogenomics, including a historical component, the existing types of pharmacogenomic testing performed, the variation of setting and utilization of this testing, and more.

Tran’s session, “A Heart-to-Heart Panel Discussion with Heart Failure Experts,” is a unique panel that will allow participants to discuss the management of heart failure patients across different practice settings with three cardiovascular pharmacotherapy experts.

In junction with the conference, KGI will host a networking event for PharmD students, staff, and faculty on November 11 at 7 p.m. inside the Disneyland Hotel.