Special Interest Groups
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are communities of Pediatric Pharmacy Association members who are interested in sharing focused ideas, knowledge and experiences with others in a specific sub-specialty area. The SIGs are formal groups organized around a common interest area, offering the opportunity for ongoing interaction among professionals regarding a certain topic.
SIGs members use the following tools to connect.
- Organized discussions on the Internet, listservs, and Conference Calls
- Targeted content within our Electronic newsletters and web content
- In-person meetings during our Annual Conference each year.
Membership in SIGs is complimentary to all PPA members. You must be a member of PPA to join a SIG. To join a Special Interest Group eCommunity, update your record on MyPPA.
Coordination
Chair: Courtney Kain, PharmD
Board Liaison: Jennifer Thackray, PharmD
Guidelines
To join a Special Interest Group (SIG) you must be a member of PPA. You can join a SIG easily through the PPA Listserv by logging into the MyPPA (myppa link) member portal or if you aren’t a member Join Today!
If you are interested in SIG Leadership use the button below to access the form.
Current Special Interest Groups
Academia
Chair: Pooja Shah, PharmD
The Academia SIG is for members of the Pediatric Pharmacy Association that educate and train pharmacy students and residents specifically about pediatric patient practice. Additionally, members contribute to the development of learners with an interest in pediatric pharmacy. Academic pharmacists use their clinical experience and knowledge along with scholarship to shape education and ultimately the future of pediatric pharmacy practice. The Academia SIG supports the development of educators through sharing of teaching methods and resources, providing mentorship, and opportunities for scholarship.
Ambulatory Care
Chair: Mariah Johnson, PharmD
According to the Board of Pharmacy Specialties, “ambulatory care pharmacy practice is the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by pharmacists who are accountable for addressing medication needs, developing sustained partnerships with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. This is accomplished through direct patient care and medication management for ambulatory patients, long-term relationships, coordination of care, patient advocacy, wellness and health promotion, triage and referral, and patient education and self-management. The ambulatory care pharmacists may work in both an institutional and community-based clinic involved in direct care of a diverse patient population.” The Ambulatory Care SIG brings together members who practice in pediatric ambulatory care.
Cardiology
Chair: Amber Brax, PharmD
The Cardiology SIG welcomes all PPA members with an interest in pediatric cardiology. The goal of the SIG is to support the community of practitioners providing care for patients with disease states such as congenital heart disease, arrhythmias, cardiac transplantation, pulmonary hypertension, chronic anticoagulation, and heart failure. These pharmacists may practice across a variety of settings including intensive care units, general inpatient units, and outpatient clinics. Furthermore, many providers care for patients ranging in age from premature neonates to adults. The cardiology SIG aims to promote collaboration and sharing of ideas relating to all areas of pediatric cardiology.
Critical Care
Chair: Tracie VanHorn, PharmD
The Critical Care SIG is for PPA members who provide pharmacy services to pediatric patients in a critical care environment. Critical care pharmacists are integral members of multidisciplinary care teams, providing medication expertise and knowledge to help ensure the safe and effective use of medications. Pediatric critical care pharmacists must consider rapidly changing pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties due to the critical nature of the patient in addition to the patient’s age-based body compositions. The goal of the Critical Care SIG is to bring together members who practice in pediatric critical care.
Drug Information and Technology
Chair:
The DI and Technology SIG is for PPA members with an interest in drug information and/or technology use in pediatric patients. The goal of the SIG is to create an area for practitioners in drug information and informatics to have the opportunity to discuss topics and solve problems that are unique to pediatric patients. Members may currently be serving in administrative, research, operational, or clinical roles with a focus of using information to care for individual or groups of patients. In addition to supporting those with professional roles encompassing DI and informatics, the SIG also seeks to serve as a resource to those with questions and interests specific to these areas and connect them with experts in the field.
Emergency Medicine (ED)
Chair: Thomas Laudone, PharmD
The emergency department (ED) provides a unique and evolving site for pharmacy practice. The main goal of pharmacists in this environment is to work as a part of the multidisciplinary team to increase medication safety while ensuring appropriate and timely medication administration during high-risk situations. As this practice area continues to develop, pediatric pharmacists are paving the way to create the ideal model to service patients in the emergency department. Pediatric ED pharmacists not only provide direct patient care such as medication order review, drug therapy monitoring and recommendations, and play a vital role in pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but also help with drug procurement, emergency preparedness, and ED-related quality improvement initiatives and research. The goal of the Emergency Medicine SIG is to bring together members who provide pharmacy services to patients in pediatric emergency departments.
General Pediatrics
Chair: April Thompkins, PharmD
Welcome to the General Pediatric Special Interest Group (SIG), a dedicated community that centers its discussions on the topics commonly encountered in the general pediatric world. This SIG comprises a diverse range of professionals, including general pediatric practitioners in standalone children’s hospitals, as well as pharmacists who serve as the sole pediatric specialist in their adult hospital, overseeing a limited number of pediatric beds. Regardless of your role in providing pharmacy care to children, we believe that participating in our SIG will prove beneficial to your practice. Join us as we explore a wide array of general pediatric related to pediatric care, including but not limited to medication management, drug therapy monitoring, and pediatric-specific guidelines. Our SIG provides a platform for sharing expertise, staying up to date with the latest developments, and fostering meaningful connections with like-minded professionals. We invite all pharmacists involved in the general care of pediatrics to actively engage with our SIG and discover the wealth of knowledge and resources that await. Together, let us contribute to enhancing the quality of pharmaceutical care for our young patients.
GI/Nutrition
Chair: Christopher Hartley, PharmD
The GI/Nutrition SIG is for members within the Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA) who have an interest in the management of gastrointestinal and nutritional disorders afflicting pediatric patients. Applicable disease states and topics include, but are not limited to, inflammatory bowel disease, short bowel disease, and the role of long term parenteral nutrition.
Hematology/Oncology
Chair: Tyler Bosley, PharmD, BCPPS
According to the Board of Pharmacy Specialties, hematology/oncology pharmacy specialists recommend, design, implement, monitor and modify pharmacotherapeutic plans to optimize outcomes in patients with hematologic and/or oncologic diseases. The Hematology/Oncology SIG brings together members who care for pediatric patients with hematologic and/or oncologic diseases.
Infectious Disease
Chair: Kymberly Buzzeo, PharmD
The PPA Infectious Disease SIG brings together all members who practice in a pediatric infectious disease setting that have a common interest and drive to advance antimicrobial stewardship practices. The ID SIG welcomes you, whether you are a pediatric infectious disease specialist, an active member of an antimicrobial stewardship team, a clinical pharmacist, or a new practitioner eager to learn more about infectious disease. The goal of the ID SIG is to encourage collaboration and communication in regards to current practices, treatment guidelines and emerging concepts in pediatric infectious disease.
Investigational Drug Service
Chair:
The Investigational Drug Service SIG is for Pediatric Pharmacy Association members who participate in and support clinical research protocols. These individuals are a key cog in therapeutic research by being the link between clinical research and clinical care. They may be involved in a wide range of investigational product handling activities including purchasing, receiving, storing, accounting for, supporting order entry activities, preparing, and returning or destroying investigational products. These individuals are dedicated to providing the highest quality, comprehensive pharmaceutical support to help ensure protocol and regulatory compliance, institutional integrity, and patient safety. The Investigational Drug Service SIG aims to help support the continual education and development of pharmacists involved in clinical research protocols or those who would like to learn more about pediatric clinical research, through sharing of information and resources, providing mentorship, and facilitating discussions relevant to investigational product best practices and related matters
Leadership / Practice Management
Chair: Michelle Barrie, PharmD
The Leadership SIG is for members interested in discussing topics related to leadership, clinical and operational management, and professional development. Members may be currently serving in pharmacy department or other leadership role or have aspirations of leading at some time in the future.
Medication Safety
Chair: Jessica Lise, PharmD
Pharmacists help healthcare practitioners keep patients safe by leading efforts to improve medication safety within institutions or care settings. They are responsible for educating, advocating, and leading improvement efforts to ameliorate the medication use process (procedures and systems used to provide medication therapy to patients such as medication procurement, storage, prescribing, transcribing, preparing, dispensing, administration, documentation, and monitoring). The PPA Medication Safety SIG brings together members who provide these services in a pediatric setting.
Neonatology
Chair: Genna Galura, PharmD
The Neonatology SIG is for PPA members who provide patient care to newborns and infants, which may range from extremely preterm neonates up to infants who are 12 months old. Neonatal pharmacists are experts in the developmental pharmacology of prematurity, medication safety issues related to drug administration of small doses, and the unique disease states and treatment regimens utilized in preterm and term infants. The Neonatal SIG brings together members who serve neonatal and infant patients and may also include prenatal management of the fetus. The goal of the Neonatology SIG is to foster communication, education and opportunities in any practice setting where neonates and infants are served.
Neurology
Chair: Jon Cokley, PharmD
The Neurology SIG is for pharmacists who serve and manage medication therapy for patients of all age groups with neurological or neuropsychiatric diseases in both inpatient and outpatient clinical settings.
New Practitioner
Chair: Autumn Spyhalsky, PharmD
The New Practitioner SIG is for any PPA member who considers themselves a new practitioner (practicing for ~5 years) or those transitioning into the role of a pediatric pharmacist. The SIG focuses on supporting and celebrating new practitioners in their career development through presentation and leadership opportunities, professional development topics and discussions, supporting life-long learning through clinical pearls, and networking opportunities. Membership includes new practitioners in all types of positions ranging from community practice to hospital and even academic roles. This SIG also includes post-doctoral trainees (residents and fellows).
Obstetrics/Women’s Health
Chair: Catherine Tom-Revzon, PharmD
The OB (Women’s Health) SIG is for members who help provide care for pregnant and postpartum women in an inpatient or outpatient setting as well as members who may cross cover in another service area that provides care to pregnant and postpartum women such as the NICU. This includes working with ambulatory clinics, inpatients, or caring for infants of lactating mothers.
Perioperative
Chair: Dave Nash, PharmD
Pharmacists caring for pediatric patients undergoing surgery face many unique challenges. The operating room is a high-risk environment especially when it comes to medication safety. Safety-checks are oftentimes not required, pharmacy approval is not needed prior to medication administration, and off-labeled medication usages are not uncommon. The perioperative SIG is designed to serve as a platform for pharmacists to interact and share ideas to improve patient care in the perioperative setting.
Pharmacogenomics
Chair: Kelsey Cook, PharmD
Pharmacogenomics affects several disciplines of medicine including cardiology, gastroenterology, hematology, infectious disease, mental health, neurology, oncology, pulmonology, and pain. The Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) has released 27 guidelines including > 20 genes covering > 150 medications. Despite the potential widespread application for pharmacogenomics, several barriers limit the implementation of pharmacogenomics including clinical expertise, integration into the healthcare record, and cost effectiveness. The purpose of the Pharmacogenomics SIG is to provide a community for pediatric pharmacists to share resources and best practices.
Public Health
Chair: Yekta Geran, PharmD
The Public Health SIG is for members of the Pediatric Pharmacy Association that have a passion for protecting and improving the health of pediatric patients in their communities. Additionally, members participate in expanding the pediatric pharmacy presence on a global scale by collaborating with organizations to improve clinical practice and provide educational programs in other countries. The goal of the public health SIG is to advocate for pharmacy services to promote accessible and high-quality pediatric healthcare within our country and across the world.
Pulmonology
Chair: Alison Grisso, PharmD
Pediatric pulmonary pharmacists serve children with respiratory needs in a variety of clinical settings, including acute care settings as well as outpatient clinics. Pulmonary pharmacists serve the interdisciplinary care team to support safe and effective medication use. Some of the disease states pulmonary pharmacists focus on may include asthma and cystic fibrosis, among other disease states. The Pulmonary SIG brings together members that care for pediatric pulmonary patients.
Pharmacy Residency Leadership
Chair: Jennifer Hamner, PharmD
The Pharmacy Residency Leadership SIG is for PPA members who are responsible for pharmacy residency programs in a variety of roles including: Residency Program Directors, Residency Program Coordinators and Residency Preceptors in a pediatric setting. The goal of this SIG is to share ideas to improve residency programs and better resident education (including best practices), preceptor development and residency recruitment. The RPD SIG brings together PPA members who are responsible for and participate in the maintenance of pharmacy residency programs.