Taisha Cunningham

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So far Taisha Cunningham has created 14 blog entries.

Scholarship Winner Attends ACA’s Veterinary Compounding Essentials Program

2023-11-01T14:31:55-05:00November 1st, 2023|Categories: compounding training, Continuing Education, Members In The News, Pharmaceutical Training, Pharmacists, Pharmacy Practice, Pharmacy Technicians, Student Pharmacist, Veterinary Compounding, Veterinary Medicine|Tags: , , , , , , |

ACA’s Veterinary Compounding Essentials program provides fundamental techniques for effectively growing the veterinary compounding practice, including calculations, proper safety practices, hands-on compounding, and marketing.

ACA would like to proudly announce, Dominique Castaneda, an American College of Veterinary Pharmacists student pharmacist member and winner of the ACA Research & Education Foundation George Malmberg Student Scholarship for Compounding Excellence, for attending our Veterinary Compounding Essentials course and giving her positive thoughts about the program.

By filling out the NOTIFICATION LIST form below, you are first to be notified when registration for this course opens in 2024. Any other questions or concerns, please call our offices at 901-383-8119 or email training@acainfo.org.

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“The Veterinary Compounding Essentials program offers bite-size information that is easily digestible, especially for student pharmacists. The staff is open and friendly. This is an incredible opportunity that I am so very grateful for.”

—Dominique Castaneda, October 2023

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ABC’s of Nutritional Pharmacy Bundle

2023-09-20T14:46:11-05:00September 19th, 2023|Categories: Continuing Education, Nutrition, Pharmacy Practice, Vitamins, Webinar, Womens Health|Tags: , , , , |

The ABC’s of Nutritional Pharmacy Bundle is accredited for 3.5 contact hours (0.35 CEUs) of continuing education credit for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

Click Here to Register

Included Webinars: 

Vitamins Fact or Fiction: Functionally Using Nutrients to Impact Positive Patient Outcomes, Jeff Robins, RPh, FACA
Many of our patients eat the standard American diet (SAD). Along with poor daily diet, most of our patients are taking medications that cause drug-induced nutritional deficiencies. Our patients are at risk for further health degradation due to their nutritional status. Jeff will help you understand how to pick nutritional products that are efficacious in your patients. You will learn how to meet your patient’s nutritional needs generally, and for specific common ailments and disease states. Not only does this type of practice offer a sustainable profit model, but your practice will also set itself apart from the competition by giving in-depth nutritional care to your patients.

The Role of Dysbiosis in Women’s Health, Suzanne Keyes, PharmD, FACA, IFMCP
An estimated 28 million women have known energy and metabolism problems due to hypothyroidism. 1.3 million women enter menopause annually. Approximately 2/3rds of the population is currently dealing with symptoms of adrenal exhaustion.

Attend this session on Women’s Health and you will:

  1. leave with the ability to distinguish the overlapping symptoms of these 3 conditions
  2. be familiar with the biological pathways and drug-induced nutrient depletions occurring from common prescriptions
  3. be comfortable recommending nutritional supplements to support the pathways, foods to avoid, and food plans to recommend as well as multiple lifestyle modifications that support the triad of conditions
Implementing Personalized Nutrition into Pharmacy Practice, Lara Zakaria, PharmD, MS, CNS, IFMCP
Nutrition intervention is considered first line in the treatment of most chronic diseases. However, most pharmacists don’t have extensive training in nutrition or don’t feel confident making nutritional recommendations in the practice. In this workshop-style session, we will learn simple, turn-key assessment solutions that will turn any pharmacist into a community expert allowing you to integrate foundational nutrition support for your patients.

If you do not have an NABP number, select “International Pharmacist” or “International Pharmacy Technician” when registering.

Our Speakers: 

Jeff Robins RPh, FAAFRM, ABAAHP, FACA is the owner of Summit Functional Consulting. As a highly sought-after consultant, he co-creates new and profitable business models for independent pharmacies nationwide. Jeff works as a consultant for Ortho Molecular Products. He is passionate about using clinical nutrition to improve patient outcomes and increase the economic viability of independent pharmacies nationwide. He has been a functional and compounding pharmacist for 25 years and likes to speak of himself as the pharmacist who “dislikes drugs”. Mr. Robins is the founder of Essential Wellness Pharmacy and the former owner of Optimum Health Solutions (a company bringing wellness to the corporate workplace). He is an Advanced Fellow with the American College of Anti-aging and Functional Medicine through the University of Southern Florida. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Apothecaries and was nominated and served as the first Compounding Section Chair, for the Board of Directors, for the Illinois Pharmacist Association. Mr. Robins is a national speaker and is passionate about educating people about profound health, allowing them to co-create their healthiest, most vibrant lives.

Suzanne Keyes PharmD, FACA, IFMCP graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy in 1996 and returned to academia in 1999 enrolling in the non-traditional Doctor of Pharmacy pathway offered through the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy.  In 2004, she graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy, the highest degree offered to pharmacists. Dr. Keyes has had 20 years of experience in varied pharmacy settings; retail management for a chain drugstore, nursing home consultant, hospital pharmacist, and her current position as the lead functional medicine pharmacist in her compounding pharmacy in Western Oklahoma.  Suzanne’s passion to get to the underlying cause of the disease is what drove her to pursue advanced education and become the seventh pharmacist in the world to become a certified practitioner through the Institute for Functional Medicine. As a Fellow of the American College of Apothecaries, Dr. Keyes spends her time outside of the lab designing, speaking for, and teaching several courses at the home office in Bartlett, Tennessee as well as traveling to individual pharmacies for ACPE-accredited onsite training.

Dr. Lara Zakaria PharmD, MS, CNS, CDN, IFMCP is a Pharmacist, Nutritionist, and adjunct professor specializing in Functional Medicine and Personalized nutrition. After spending 10 years in pharmacy community practice, she noticed that her patients were all getting worse, not better. She realized that the pharmaceutical-based guidelines she was trained in were intended only to manage chronic disease not prevent progression. That led her to FxMed and the power of nutrition. Dr. Zakaria is passionate about gut health and preventing and reversing metabolic, kidney, and autoimmune diseases. She splits her time between clinical practice, teaching, and mentorship in service of expanding awareness and access to FxMed and Personalized Nutrition.

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Compounding Clarity: Decoding USP Standards in Pharmacy Practice Bundle

2023-07-28T09:22:49-05:00July 27th, 2023|Categories: compounding, Continuing Education, USP 795, USP 797, Veterinary Compounding|Tags: , , , , , |

The Compounding Clarity: Decoding USP Standards in Pharmacy Practice Bundle is accredited for 3.0 contact hours (0.3 CEUs) of continuing education credit for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

Click Here to Register

Included Webinars: 

GFI #256: How it affects compounding for veterinary patients – 2023 / 0.5 CE
This webinar will help veterinary compounders understand the requirements of GFI-256 and why such a document is necessary in the current federal landscape. Pharmacists and technicians will learn when FDA intends to use enforcement discretion regarding the compounding of animal drugs using bulk drug substances and how to comply with these requirements. They will also learn how they can nominate drugs to the list for compounding office stock drugs used for nonfood-producing animals.

Understanding the revision to USP <795> Pharmaceutical Compounding – Nonsterile Preparations – 2023 / 0.5 CE
This webinar will help pharmacists and technicians understand and prepare for changes to USP <795> Pharmaceutical Compounding – Nonsterile Preparations that will go into effect on November 1, 2023. The webinar will include differentiating dosage forms that may be compounded as nonsterile preparations and how to assign beyond-use dates as well as reviewing changes to facility, personnel, and documentation requirements.

Preparing for change: Key aspects of revised USP <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding – Sterile Preparations / 1 CE
This webinar will help pharmacists and technicians understand and prepare for changes to USP <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding – Sterile Preparations that will take effect on November 1, 2023. The webinar will include an overview of requirements including the transition to Category 1, Category 2, and Category 3 compounded sterile preparations and what each of these entails. Topics covered include requirements for facility and equipment, environmental monitoring, personnel training, and competency, documentation, and quality management.

Interpreting and Applying USP Compounded Preparation Monographs in Pharmacy Practice: Recipes for Quality / 1 CE
Since 1820, USP has published Compounded Preparation Monographs (CPMs) with the goal of standardizing quality-assured formulas for the most commonly used compounded preparations for humans and animals. While most pharmacy professionals are aware of these monographs, many do not understand the significance and utility of each of the sections of a monograph. Join this webinar to learn where to find and how to interpret the meaning and intent of these unique “recipes” and how to apply them to your veterinary pharmacy practice.

Thanks to our partnership with the American College of Veterinary Pharmacy

Our Speakers: 

Gigi Davidson, RPh, DICVP, FACVP, FSVHP is the former Director of Clinical Pharmacy at the NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine where she practiced veterinary pharmacy for 35 years.  Ms. Davidson received a pharmacy degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1983 and earned Diplomate status in the International College of Veterinary Pharmacy in 2001. She was inducted into the Phi Zeta Honor Society in 2006 as an honorary member for distinguished advancement of veterinary science. Gigi is a past President of the Society of Veterinary Hospital Pharmacists and of the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists. Ms. Davidson is the ACVP delegate to the American Pharmacists Association House of Delegates. Ms. Davidson was the Chair of the United States Pharmacopeia Compounding Expert Committee from 2010-2020 and continues to serve as a member. Gigi is the recipient of USP’s Beal Award when in 2015 she became the first female and first veterinary recipient of that award. She has many publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and her primary area of research interest is the stability, safety, and efficacy of compounded therapies in non-human species. Her research interests in retirement include drug disposition in honey bees and the pharmacological action of plant pollens and nectars on honey bee colonies.

Brenda Jensen CPhT, CNMT, MBA owns Compounding Consultants, LLC in Sioux Falls, SD. She has helped hundreds of compounding facilities across the country improve compounding quality and safety. Brenda is currently president-elect of the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists, serves on the Board of Directors for the American College of Apothecaries Research and Education Foundation, is a peer reviewer for Pharmacy Technician’s Letter, is a member of the APhA House of Delegates, and also teaches compounding courses for the American College of Apothecaries. She was previously the coordinator for the APhA Compounding Special Interest Group and served on the Board of Directors for the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists and the Pharmacy Compounding Foundation. Brenda began volunteering for USP in 2013 and is currently Chair of the 2020–2025 Compounding Expert Committee.

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Compounding Faculty Meeting: “Focus of a DEA Inspection on a Compounding Pharmacy (503A)”

2023-08-24T16:48:37-05:00July 26th, 2023|Categories: Community Pharmacy, compounding, DEA, Pharmacy Practice|Tags: , , , , |

Date:  Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Time:  12:30 PM Eastern / 11:30 AM Central / 10:30 AM Mountain / 9:30 AM Pacific

Topic: What DEA Requires?

Host:  Ernie Gates  

Panelists: Carlos M. Aquino, an Associate with Gates Healthcare Associates, is an experienced consultant specializing in DEA compliance for pharmacies, hospitals, health clinics, medical practitioners, drug manufacturers and distributors.

Join us for a 1 hour webinar on ““Focus of a DEA Inspection on a Compounding Pharmacy (503A)”.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Pharmacist
– Describe role of DEA Diversion Control Division
– Review how to prepare for a DEA inspection
– Explain what are the DEA required records
– Discuss the security of controlled substances
– Identify the need for a Pharmacy Due Diligence Policy 

Pharmacy Technician
– Review the elements of a DEA inspection
– Explain what records are required to be readily available
– Recall the element of the evaluation of security for CS
– Identify what a pharmacist must know to prevent diversion of prescriptions for controlled substances

This meeting will not offer CE. 

This meeting is open to all Pharmacy Professionals, FREE for ACA Members, $10 for non-members, registration is required.

In addition, members of the Compounding Faculty will have exclusive access to an online community.

Did you miss the meeting!

Click Here for Video
Click Here for Audio

 

Our Speaker:

Carlos M. Aquino, is President and Founder of PharmaDiversion, LLC and an Associate with Gates Healthcare Associates.  A former DEA agent and supervisor, Carlos  is an experienced consultant specializing in DEA compliance for pharmacies, hospitals, health clinics, medical practitioners, drug manufacturers and distributors.

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Faculties: American College of Apothecaries

2023-07-27T15:14:20-05:00July 19th, 2023|Categories: compounding, Member Benefits, networking, Nutrition|Tags: , , , , |

Overview:
One of the American College of Apothecaries’ strengths is the open sharing of ideas — which historically has been accomplished through in-person meetings. ACA is augmenting these meetings by establishing expert faculties that will assemble using digital technology — including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, email, and online forums. Participation in faculty meetings is intended to increase member engagement, thus facilitating peer-to-peer networking and relationship building.

Member in all classes:
Faculty participation is optional and offered to ACA members at all individual membership levels, which include our Fellows, pharmacists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy marketers, and affiliates. Faculties will thus seasoned pharmacy professionals to interact and share their expertise and experiences with others who have high interest levels and are in the process of establishing their expertise. Each faculty will elect a Chair and Chair-Elect who will serve for one-year terms.

Initially two faculties:
1. Compounding Faculty
2. Nutrition & Wellness Faculty

Meetings of faculty:
Meetings of faculty will focus on topics about which members are passionate — and could include but not limited to discussions of specific products, techniques and methods, concepts, issues, and opportunities. Because meetings will not involve the awarding of continuing education credit, the discussions will not be restricted by ACPE guidelines. Hence, speakers at meetings of faculty could include representatives or organizations that provide proprietary items to our members.

Founding faculty sponsors:
ACA is seeking financial support of organizations that are aligned with the expertise and interests of one or more of our faculties — and that desire to be designated “Founding Faculty Sponsor”.

Compounding Faculty Information
Nutrition & Wellness Faculty Information

*For additional information please contact:
Linda Cathey, Faculty Membership Coordinator — linda@acainfo.org

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Mental Health for the Pharmacy Workforce Bundle

2023-07-27T15:14:49-05:00July 19th, 2023|Categories: Continuing Education, Men's Health, Mental Health, Patient Safety|Tags: , , , , |

Earn up to 2 hours of continuing education focused on Mental Health when you purchase the Mental Health for the Pharmacy Workforce Bundle, originally presented at the ACA | ACVP | PPHI Annual Conference & Expo.

Webinar 1: Long Walk Out of the Woods: A Physician’s Story of Addiction, Depression, Hope and Recovery
This session is sponsored by Pharmacists Public Health Initiatives.

At the conclusion of this program, the participating pharmacist or technician will be able to:
1. Identify contributing factors addressed in the medical workforce.
2. Describe obstacles/barriers preventing mental health treatment.
3. Discuss self-care strategies & institutional advocacy.
4. Discover the effects of stigma, and stereotyping medical conditions.

Webinar 2: Burnout, Patient Safety, and the Road to Resiliency
This session is sponsored by Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company.

At the conclusion of this program, the participating pharmacist or technician will be able to:
1. Identify signs and symptoms of professional burnout.
2. Explain the impact of burnout on professional practice and patient safety.
3. Describe methods to mitigate burnout and improve well-being.
4. Develop an individual practice to foster resiliency and self-care.

Register Here

*If you do not have an NABP number, select “International Pharmacist” or “International Pharmacy Technician” when registering.

Our Speakers: 

Adam Hill, MD is a palliative care physician at Riley Hospital for Children. Dr. Hill is a proud Hoosier, a Butler Bulldog, and an IUSM graduate. He completed his pediatric residency training at St. Louis University, a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Duke University, and a palliative medicine fellowship at IUSM. His work in palliative care is focused on allowing patients to live the best quality of life possible, in the midst of chronic, life-limiting, and/or life-threatening medical conditions. In addition to palliative care, Dr. Hill is passionate about physician wellness/self-care, physician education, and international medical work. His international work has allowed him to work in Belize, Mexico, Kenya, Tanzania, and Australia over the past several years. In addition, as part of his work in palliative care, he serves as the medical director for a week-long summer camp for children affected by childhood cancer.

Kristen Jones, PharmD graduated from the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy in 2003 with a Doctorate in Pharmacy. Kristen has practiced in both retail and hospital pharmacies prior to joining Pharmacists Mutual in 2014. She is a member of ASHP, APhA, NCPA, and APC. Since her time at Pharmacists Mutual, she has provided presentations to pharmacy schools and state associations across the country about professional liability and many other organizations about risk management and disaster planning in pharmacies, compounding, and pharmacy errors. Kristen lives in Wheatland, Wyoming, and enjoys life with her husband and four children.

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The Micronutrients: Survey of 13 Vitamins, Deficiencies, Supplements, and Interactions

2023-07-27T15:15:37-05:00July 19th, 2023|Categories: Continuing Education, Home Study, Nutrition, Vitamins|Tags: , , , , |

✨ Get up to 16 hours of CE ✨

Individuals often rely on their pharmacists for advice on the selection and use of nutritional supplements. Yet, many pharmacists practicing today did not enjoy a comprehensive study of vitamins and minerals in their academic education. And those who did may be unaware of recent study findings that have expanded our understanding of how deficiencies and excesses of certain micronutrients may affect health status – and how micronutrients may interact unfavorably with certain medications.

Pharmacists who have a passion for nutrition and wellness should be especially competent in providing advice and counseling on the selection and use of nutritional supplements based on age, gender, health history, complaints, and medication use – with the goal of achieving wellness.

If you have a passion for nutrition & wellness, click below to register:

Register Here

*If you do not have an NABP number, select “International Pharmacist” or “International Pharmacy Technician” when registering.

Our Speaker: 

Quentin Srnka, PharmD, MBA, FACA is a 1968 and 1969 graduate of the University of Tennessee (Memphis) where he received Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degrees. Upon graduation he served with the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service, providing pharmacy, laboratory, and X-ray services – and was appointed interim hospital service unit administrator (Indian Health Service Hospital, Duck Valley Reservation, Nevada and Idaho).

During his 31-year tenure as a full-time University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy faculty member, he taught courses ranging from health assessment to community pharmacy marketing and management to counseling and communications. He established and managed a variety of innovative pharmacies associated with the College of Pharmacy and established and managed his own pharmacy in a Memphis suburb.

Dr. Srnka’s career interest has been the pharmacist’s role in the care of common, self-limited health problems. He promoted and popularized the term “self-care consultant” as related to community-based pharmacists and contributed to and edited Self-Care Consulting Guide.

More recently Dr. Srnka served as Executive Vice President / CEO for the American College of Apothecaries (ACA) and American College of Veterinary Pharmacists, establishing ACA’s Health & Wellness Faculty and Compounding Faculty. Quentin is a licensed Alabama pharmacist and resides with his wife Vickie in Alabama and Arizona.

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ACA Fellows-Only Benefit

2023-07-11T10:39:41-05:00July 11th, 2023|Categories: Fellows Benefit, Free Continuing Education, Webinar|Tags: , , |

Each quarter, ACA Fellows will be offered the opportunity to complete a pre-selected CE program at no charge!

Webinar Title: The Chemistry: THC, CBD, the Class, Potency & Standardization

About: The chemistry of cannabis is often confused between recreational and clinical utility. This session will provide an explanation of the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of THC and CBD. With the increasing utilization of medical marijuana and the need for quality attributes, we will discuss the importance of standardization and testing of cannabis.

Pricing Begins: July 1st, 2023
Pricing Ends: September 30th, 2023
Click Here To Claim Your FREE CE

*If you do not have an NABP number, select “International Pharmacist” or “International Pharmacy Technician” when registering.

Speaker:

Dr. Thomas C. Kupiec, PhD, is the CEO of ARL Bio Pharma and DNA Solutions Inc. Dr. Kupiec received his Ph.D in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Pharmacy. He currently serves as a graduate faculty member at the OU Health Sciences Center and has held teaching appointments at several universities. He has published numerous articles and abstracts in a variety of fields including pharmaceutical sciences, forensic sciences and pharmacogenomics. Dr. Kupiec is often requested as a speaker at national pharmaceutical conferences and has spoken at ASHP, IACP, ACA and for state pharmaceutical associations.

Dr. Kupiec’s vision of entrepreneurial research is manifested by his responsibilities at DNA Solutions and ARL, which include supplying technical expertise and business development in the pharmaceutical and forensic fields. Additionally, Dr. Kupiec offers consultation services for a variety of pharmacy related fields as well as expert witness testimony in the fields of forensic toxicology and pharmaceutical sciences. He has testified in over a hundred cases, both civil and criminal, in federal, state and municipal courts.

His professional experience includes various appointments at Northwest Toxicology Inc. (NWT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Dr. Kupiec is affiliated with numerous professional organizations, including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Society of Forensic Toxicologists, and Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.

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The Micronutrients: MODULE 1 Vitamin A and Carotenoids Home Study

2023-07-27T15:16:10-05:00July 11th, 2023|Categories: Continuing Education, Home Study, Nutrition, Vitamins|Tags: , , , , |

✨ Get up to 1 hour of CE ✨
Individuals often rely on their pharmacists for advice on selecting and using nutritional supplements. Yet, many pharmacists practicing today did not enjoy a comprehensive study of vitamins and minerals in their academic education. Those who did may be unaware of recent study findings that have expanded our understanding of how deficiencies and excesses of certain micronutrients may affect health status, and how micronutrients may interact unfavorably with certain medications.
If you have a passion for nutrition & wellness, click below to register:
Register Here

*If you do not have an NABP number, select “International Pharmacist” or “International Pharmacy Technician” when registering.

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SAVE $150 OFF ALL VETERINARY COMPOUNDING COURSES

2023-07-27T15:16:32-05:00July 11th, 2023|Categories: compounding training, Continuing Education, Veterinary Compounding, Veterinary Medicine|Tags: , , , , |

Earn CE and SAVE $150 when registering for The Veterinary Compounding Essential Courses with code: 150off 
The best value in compounding training just got a little better.

VETERINARY COMPOUNDING ESSENTIALS is an accredited 15-hour (1.5 CEUs) knowledge / application-based course that introduces pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and marketers to veterinary pharmacy compounding. The program provides fundamental techniques for effectively growing the veterinary compounding practice, including calculations, proper safety practices, hands-on compounding, and marketing.

Click Here to Register

*Remember—ACA and ACVP members save an additional $200 off non-member prices. Send 2 or more staff and save
even more

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Corporate Members and Affiliates

ACA’s Corporate Members and Affiliates are businesses and organizations who share our dedication to advancing the profession of pharmacy.

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