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, 2023, at Ballad’s Bristol Regional Medical Center in Bristol, Tennessee. The event is aimed at pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and will focus primarily on the topics of substance use disorder (SUD) and the opioid epidemic. Continuing education credit is being offered for each presentation during the program. Tennessee Pharmacists Consortium for Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
A free boxed lunch will be provided with an RSVP by April 28, 2023.
Speaker Schedule
Check in will take place between 8:30-9 a.m., with the conference starting at 9 a.m.
in the Monarch Auditorium. The schedule is as follows:
9-9:15 a.m. — Welcome
9:15- 10 a.m. — Michael Meit will speak on “Diseases of Despair/Building Recovery Ecosystems.” He serves as director of the ETSU Center for Rural Health and Research, as well as Senior Fellow in NORC at the University of Chicago’s Public Health Research Department, and Deputy Director for the ETSU/NORC Rural Health Equity Research Center. Meit currently leads studies focused on the evaluation of rural health programs, health equity, opioid misuse and food insecurity, among others. UAN: 0575-0000-23-059-L99-P&T
10:15-11 a.m. — William Cooke, MD, 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 Co-Director of the Rural Center of HIV/STD Prevention. UAN: 0575-0000-23-057-L02-P&T
11:15-11:45 p.m. — Charlie Tarasidis, PharmD, will deliver a presentation called “Buprenorphine-Naloxone Pharmacist Champion.” Tarasidis practiced pharmacy at the Carilion Health System for 40 years with job responsibilities including pharmacy clinical coordination, home care infusion services, medical equipment and oxygen therapy, manager and director of retail pharmacy operations. His primary professional focus currently is serving the substance misuse disorder community in outreach, well care, treatment, and other family needs. Tarasidis holds a professorship in Addiction Medicine with Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. UAN: 0575-0000-23-060-L01-P&T
12-1 p.m. — Lunch
1-1:45 p.m. — Sarah Thomason (formerly Melton), PharmD, BCPP, BCACP, CGP, FASCP, ETSU professor and vice-chair of Pharmacy Practice, and student pharmacists will offer Naloxone administration training during a session called "Volunteer to Save A Life: Naloxone Education and Distribution." Thomason is the Clinical Pharmacist at ETSU Health Internal Medicine and the ETSU Center of Excellence for HIV/AIDS Care. She has been a board-certified psychiatric pharmacist (Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties) since 1997 and a board-certified ambulatory care pharmacist since 2011. Thomason is a Fellow of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. She performs comprehensive medication management in the areas of psychiatric and neurologic pharmacy, substance use disorders, and other primary care disorders. She currently serves on the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, the board of the Virginia Department of Health Professions, the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority, and the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee. UAN: 0575-0000-23-061-L01-P&T
2-2:45 p.m. — Anthony Pudlo, PharmD, will speak on "Pharmacists & their Untapped Potential in Substance Use Disorder" and give an update from the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA), of which he serves as Executive Director. In this role, he advances, protects, and promotes high-quality pharmacist-provided patient care in the State of Tennessee. Previously, he served as vice president of professional affairs at the Iowa Pharmacy Association for almost ten years and provided clinical resources to pharmacists across Iowa and served as liaison to state agencies and health care organizations to promote safe and effective medication use. UAN: 0575-0000-23-064-L01-P&T
3:00-3:30 p.m. —Nancy Hooper, PharmD, will speak on “A Personal Story of Substance Use Disorder and Recovery.” She is manager of recovery and well-being services at TPA. Hooper is healthcare professional with over 25 years of pharmacy experience, including long-term care, corporate, and community pharmacy. As a pharmacist in long-term recovery, she is driven both personally and professionally to serve and advocate for people suffering with or in recovery from substance use disorder. Her role at TPA allows her to play an integral role in supporting Tennessee's pharmacists and technicians in their efforts to further their careers as healthy pharmacy professionals. UAN: 0575-0000-23-062-L99-P&T
3:45-4:30 p.m. —Nick Hagemeier, PharmD, PhD, will speak on the “The Art and Science of Thriving.” Hagemeier serves as ETSU’s vice provost for research, chief research officer, and professor of Pharmacy Practice. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy, MS, and PhD degrees from Purdue University. He has nine years of experience in community pharmacy settings, as well as experience in industry and health systems. Dr. Hagemeier served as Co-Investigator of ETSU’s $2.2 million NIH-funded Diversity-Promoting Institutions Drug Abuse Research Program and was Principal Investigator for a core project focused on prescription drug abuse-related communication. He served as Research Director of ETSU’s Addiction Science Center, served as Director of a Pharmacy Practice Research Fellowship, and as Director of Student Professional Development at the College of Pharmacy. He has obtained over $3.4 million in NIH and state funds to conduct substance use disorder research. He has published 51 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has given over 60 invited research presentations. Dr. Hagemeier has also served the profession at the national, state, regional, and local levels and has served ETSU on multiple university and college committees. UAN: 0575-0000-23-058-L99-P&T
Directions and Parking
The conference will be held at Ballad Health’s Bristol Regional Medical Center, Monarch Auditorium, 1 Medical Park Blvd, Bristol, TN 37620. Parking is available in the Conference Center Parking Lot. A shuttle will be running from the parking lot to the conference center. You may request a shuttle by calling 423-844-1121.
Enter through the “Main Entrance” and not the “Conference Center Entrance.” There will be signage in the building directing you to the conference room areas. Elevators are available in the building.
Continuing Education
Continuing education credit is being offered for each presentation during the program. After each program, pharmacy participants can visit the LecturePanda website and submit the associated passcode that will be available on the final slide of each presentation during the conference. That will give access to the required evaluation and transcript request process. Tennessee Pharmacists Consortium for Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
Questions?
Reach out to Jane Miller, Dean's Office Coordinator, at MILLERJA6@etsu.edu or call 423-439-2068.