Moving forward
I certainly hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, friends, and/or other loved ones. This becomes a busy time of the year. Holidays. For many of our students and residents, ASHP's MidYear Meeting will be the start of moving forward to the next stage of their training/careers. For those who will be attending the MidYear Meeting, remember that CPNP is sponsoring an educational session entitled, “Expecting the Unexpected: Treatment of Opioid Dependence in Pregnancy.” Several other CPNP members are presenting educational programs on Tuesday of MidYear as well. You might also want to stop by Residency Showcase and visit CPNP's booth promoting residencies and careers in psychiatric pharmacy.
As 2012 draws to a close for CPNP, it is a time to reflect and a time to focus attention on what's ahead. CPNP's election process is complete for the year, and our membership has selected new leadership for CPNP and its Board of Directors from an outstanding slate of candidates. I invite everyone to join in a collective “Congratulations” to: Steve Burghart, (president-elect), Chris Thomas (treasurer), and Ray Love (at-large Board member). Each of these individuals will take office next July. I'm pleased to welcome each of them to our leadership team; we are looking forward to working with and learning from each of them. They will each begin working with our current board during the next few months as a transition. We also congratulate Dr. Paul Perry as the recipient of the Judith J. Saklad Award for 2013. Dr. Perry's long, distinguished career and his work have had lasting impact on psychopharmacology. In addition, he has trained and mentored many successful psychiatric pharmacists.
We also have a strong preview of what is in store at our upcoming CPNP Annual Meeting. The Programming Committee and the Recertification Editorial Board have put together a strong program on topics of interest to CPNP Members. The theme, of course, is “Elevating to New Heights in Neuropsychiatric Pharmacy.” Given the beautiful location of the meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado, “Elevating to New Heights” is a good operative phrase! Be sure to visit cpnp.org/2013. There you will find everything you need to help you register for the meeting. You'll also find information on Colorado Springs and the Broadmoor. While you're visiting the Annual Meeting web pages, take a moment to consider the ways that you can make the Annual Meeting “your meeting”:
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Please consider submitting that poster you've been working on. Visit the Poster/Abstract page. There's a great deal of helpful information there. Posters in several categories are accepted and can be eligible for Research and Practice Awards. After you submit your poster abstract, please start thinking about converting your poster into a submission for publication in the Mental Health Clinician.
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Submit Clinical Pearls or ideas for Roundtable Discussions. Those are additional ways that you, as our members, can help shape the Annual Meeting and enrich its content.
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Consider volunteering to be an reviewer for Abstracts and Awards
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Look at the meeting schedule and notice all the opportunities for networking and interacting with colleagues.
As we all think forward to the coming year, don't forget to update your volunteer profile and express an interest in serving on a CPNP committee or editorial board. Many opportunities for involvement in our organization are available. Let us know about your interests and skills. And also, don't forget about the work of the CPNP Foundation. That group is actively planning a Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice Summit and will soon be releasing survey results from their project focused on, “Characterizing the Interface Between Community Pharmacists and Patients.” Your contributions to CPNP Foundation will support these activities and will be deductible on Federal taxes for 2012.
Until next month, best wishes for a safe and happy Holiday season.
Rex Lott