Ballad Health and East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy are hosting the inaugural conference for the Center for Pharmacy Education, Advocacy and Outreach on May 8 at Bristol Regional Medical Center in Bristol, Tennessee.
The free event, aimed at pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, will focus primarily on the topics of substance use disorder (SUD) and the opioid epidemic. Continuing education credit is also being offered for each presentation during the program.
Check-in will take place between 8:30-9 a.m., with the conference starting at 9 a.m. in the Monarch Auditorium. A free boxed lunch will be provided with an RSVP by April 28. Learn more and register at etsu.edu/pharmacy/pharmacy_conference.
The center was established by ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy and Ballad Health in May 2022 to improve the lives and health outcomes of people in the Appalachian Highlands. The purpose of the annual conference is to address the latest in research and solutions to health care challenges and collaborate on professional development and continuing education offerings.
Speakers are as follows:
Dr. William Cooke will speak on “Canary in the Coal Mine-Reinvesting in the Health and Prosperity of America." Cooke is the author of the book “Canary in the Coal Mine: A Forgotten Rural Community, a Hidden Epidemic, and a Lone Doctor Battling for the Life, Health, and Soul of the People.” In addition to being the chief medical officer for Foundations Family Medicine, a division of Well Care Community Health, Inc., he serves as the medical director of the nonprofit community organization, Refresh Health; as the Medical Director of the Scott Memorial Health hospitalist program; and as o-director of the Rural Center of HIV/STD Prevention.
Michael Meit, director of the ETSU Center for Rural Health Research, will speak on “Diseases of Despair/Building Recovery Ecosystems.” He serves as senior fellow in the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago’s Public Health Research Department, as well as director of the ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center. Meit currently leads studies focused on the evaluation of rural health programs, health equity, opioid misuse, food insecurity and more.
In addition, other speaker topics and events include:
- “The Art and Science of Thriving,” Dr. Nick Hagemeier, ETSU’s vice provost for research, chief research officer and professor of Pharmacy Practice.
- “A Personal Story of Substance Use Disorder and Recovery,” Dr. Nancy Hooper, manager of recovery and well-being services at the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA).
"Pharmacists and Their Untapped Potential,” Dr. Anthony Pudlo, executive director of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, who will also give an update on the TPA.- “Buprenorphine-Naloxone Pharmacist Champion” Dr. Charlie Tarasidis, Carilion Clinic.
- "Volunteer to Save a Life: Nalonxone Education and Distribution" Dr. Sarah Thomason, ETSU professor of Pharmacy Practice, and student pharmacists.
In 2022, Ballad Health committed a $470,000 annual gift to the college to create the Center for Pharmacy Education, Advocacy and Outreach, broadening efforts to equip pharmacists to transform practice and to work with patient care team members across inpatient and outpatient settings to improve transitions of care and overall health outcomes.
Through the new center, ETSU and Ballad Health are working to develop simulation and laboratory education offerings and collaborating to develop and enhance curricula. It also will focus on preceptor development and enhancing training experiences for student pharmacists.
The center will be a catalyst for developing policy recommendations at the local, regional, state and national levels in the areas of addiction and mental health, both pressing concerns in rural America.
The idea for the center grew from a series of conversations between pharmacy leadership at Ballad Health and Dr. Debbie Byrd, dean of ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy. They recognized that there were opportunities in the way students are trained and in the way that ETSU faculty are integrated into the inpatient work environment.
ETSU’s long-time commitment to interprofessional education and team-based care, as well as ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy’s award-winning student programs focusing on naloxone training and community outreach, provide a foundation for the center’s efforts on preparing pharmacists for the critical role in interprofessional teams that care for patients with chronic pain, opioid use disorder and mental health disorders.
Tennessee Pharmacists Consortium for Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy was founded in 2005 by the community with a mission to develop progressive, team-oriented pharmacists who improve health care, focusing on rural and underserved communities. The college has earned numerous national awards and accolades for service, scholastic achievement and clinical training. Learn more at etsu.edu/pharmacy.