Committees

Please look through our descriptions of our committees. If you are interested in joining a committee, please fill our out committee form.

Educational Programs Committee – [Asha Tata, Ken Walters, Co-Chair]
This committee/group will determine the schedule and content of our monthly programs. Content should be timely and address current practice interests. This group also plans and organizes the two MSHP seminar days; one in March and the other in November. The programs usually have a theme that many of the presentation may be related, but this is not mandatory. The March program also includes presentation of awards: Patient Safety and Technician Awards. The November program includes the installation of officers/Board and the presentation of the Board of Directors, Pharmacist of the Year, Industry Representative of the Year, Past President, and W Arthur Purdum Awards.

MSHP By-Laws, Constitution, Policies and Procedures (Brian Pinto, Immediate Past President]
Responsible for review of MSHP operation documents (By-Laws, Constitution, P&Ps), revise and update them as necessary to reflect the current operations of the society.

Medication/Patient Safety Committee [Chair , Co-Chair]
Medication and patient safety topics of interest – these may be ISMP, ASHP 2015 goals, National Patient Safety Goals, JCAHO requirements, or other as defined by this committee. MSHP collaborates with the Maryland Patient Safety Center as a partner, a contributor of pertinent conference sessions, and as a key sponsor. A presentation at the MPSC conference in March annually – requests for presentations is solicited by this committee – deadline is the first week of November. The Medication Safety Award is presented in March during the Biannual Seminar – the committee solicits awards from MSHP members – the deadline is the first week in February.

Legislative Affairs-Advocacy Committee [Chair, Co-Chair]
The Legislative Committee is committed to maintaining an active role in Maryland and national regulations and legislation important to pharmacy practitioners. Several examples: the Pharmacy Technician regulations, 797 sterile processing regulations, and tamper proof prescription pads. Participation as a member organization of the Maryland Pharmacy Coalition to sponsor a Legislative Day education session, for the annual Legislative Day activities in Annapolis- important for advocacy and beneficial in moving important pharmacy initiatives forward.

Membership Committee [Chair, Co-Chair]
This committee is responsible for increasing our membership, but also to increase active member participation. Projects include student/resident activities, student scholarship(s), pharmacy technician pilot recruitment intiative, institutional membership, and and events just for networking and fun – the annual Orioles Bullpen event

Student Mentorship Program [Chair, Co-Chair]
This program is to work toward increasing our students interested in a healthsystem pharmacy practice. Mentor – mentee pairs are selected via application and biographical data forms for both mentors and mentees. The program is then evaluated on outcomes, summarized in a newsletter article.

Emergency Preparedness Committee [Chair, Co-Chair]
Responsible for maintaining a liaison role with local and state emergency preparedness planners, including City of Baltimore, CEPAR, and Board of Pharmacy. In addition, this committee serves as a source of information regarding current areas of emergency planning. This group may plan and conduct emergency preparedness exercises, provide information via our website and provide education to our members or others as requested.

MSHP Historian [President – Elect]
Maintain an ongoing history of the society by reviewing the organizations, minutes, publications, programs, presentation, and member contributions to the society. Also to maintain a up to date record of hospital and health-system activities as these pertain to MSHP.

Publications Committee [Chair, Co-Chair]
Responsible for content, and editing of content for the 6 bi-monthly MSHP newsletter editions each year. To provide quality articles on medication use topics as well as inform our members of society and pertinent state and national pharmacy news.

Finance Committee [Chair Treasurer, Co-Chair]
Responsible for overseeing the Society's financial matters. This committee makes recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding: the investment of Society assets, including short to long term investment strategies; dues adjustments; monitoring performance of all assets and investments; reviewing and certifying any financial reports/tax statements that the Society may be required to provide; and reviewing the Society's financial records prior to the installation of a new Treasurer, and on a periodic basis as may be required by policy and/or Bylaws.

Nominations and Awards Committee [President-Elect]
Nominations may be made on-line for any of these awards, except the W Arthur Purdum award – this is selected by past Purdum award recipients. If no nominations are forthcoming by end of July, solicitation of a slate must occur from the Board, PLG, or any member – and this will require direct contact of members to obtain names of qualified individuals. November awards need to be selected by end of September for ballot vote in the first week of October. March awards need to be selected by the first week of February. The Medication Safety Award is selected from objective criteria and a three judge panel.

• Health-System Pharmacists of the Year Award – presented in November
• Board of Directors Award – presented in November
• W Arthur Purdum Award – presented in November
• Jeffrey E. Ensor Emerging Leadership Award – presented in November
• Industry Representative of the Year Award – presented in November
• Student Achievement Award – presented in March and at the convocation ceremony
• Technician of the Year Award – presented in March
• Medication Safety Annual Award – presented in March

LEARN (learning, education, and research network) Committee [Chair, Co-Chair]
The goal of the committee is to network and exchange “best practices” and help develop an environment to encourage clinical practice research. The LEARN grant - $1000 has been developed to encourage practitioners in their research endeavors. Consider projects consistent with the ASHP 2015 goals for this grant. The award will be selected/graded based upon objective criteria by a three judge panel.

Website [Webmaster – Ray Lake]
All nominations and submissions for officers, awards, and grants are available on-line. The process is streamlined and in most cases forms may be completed these in 10 minutes or less. Registration and renewal is also available on-line. Additions and content of the website is forwarded to the webmaster by the various committees: the pharmacy technician page, emergency preparedness and medication/patient safety, the askmypharmacist, coming soon a Maryland Pharmacy Coalition page to provide information on Legislative Day, including on-line registration.

Public Affairs-Advocacy [Chair, Co-Chair]
Responsible for launching and/or continuing initiatives, including a print, telecommunications media campaign to raise public awareness of the importance of pharmacists in safe and effective medication use. Annual participation and supporter of the Board’s Annual Baltimore Flower Mart. Stories and National Pharmacy Month, National Health-systems Pharmacy Week in November - contact the appropriate individual(s) in the Govenor’s, Mayor’s office to provide a Proclamation declaring National Health-systems pharmacy month/week. The askmypharmacist page on the website offers some resources for the lay public.

Now, some areas that we are considering and we need to move on:

Professional career development and leadership development - this is an area of great interest, but is huge in scope. We believe this is a value added service that we would like to develop. We are looking for individuals passionate about the subject matter and with a desire to become involved. This is a very big challenge, especially with current pharmacist shortages, growing student populations from Shady Grove, and the new Notre Dame School of Pharmacy. This is another great opportunity for many to become involved.

An Antimicrobial Stewardship Program has been discussed and has received favorable response. This is an area of critical importance for pharmacy to become involved in developing and participating in programs regarding the appropriate use of antimicrobials in the environment of increasing resistance. Fortunately, there is already local precedence for some very definitive steps, for example a moratorium on use of a specific antibiotic class in one of our local institutions. This topic is in the conceptual stages and is another opportunity for many to become involved. I hope that many of you will join us to formulate more than just guidelines but practice with “some teeth” to combat antimicrobial resistance.

H2E, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, is a group that advocates and works toward policies directed at the appropriate disposal of healthcare waste and the protection of the environment. The public is really tuned to this topic and other Chesapeake Bay environmentally friendly projects. MSHP is beginning conversations to join this group and its list of professional associations sponsors. All of the hospital, healthcare facilities in the region are members of H2E. We hope to have an education program early in 2008 on this subject. Again, another opportunity to join us, become involved and advocate for responsible destruction/disposal of pharmaceuticals.