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Hopefully everyone can credit one great person who has made a major difference in his or her lives. I’ve had the great fortune to know several people who inspired me onto my pharmacy path. Not only was Mr. Wilson my high school biology teacher, he was the most professional teacher I’ve had who recognized my potential in health-care, specifically pharmacy. Mr. Wilson referred me to a career night with Louis Hedges, Registrar from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. This evening began one of many in which I’ve had the pleasure to learn from great professors. For example, Dr. Daniel Hussar, Dr. Julian Snow and Dr. William Reinsmith molded my early thoughts and approaches towards caring for people and becoming a pharmacist. My ASHP residency mentor Nancy Jacoby showed me the importance of being decisive and the value of being honest when dealing with people and organizations. Throughout the years, countless pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at Valley Hospital and Saint Barnabas Health Care System continue to inspire and fill me with great honor and respect.

As a pharmacy student I worked in retail, home health care, and hospital pharmacy to help me decide which direction to go. Just before graduation, I entered into the ASHP Residency Match program and matched with Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ. I was staff pharmacist for four years and then became a pharmacy supervisor for the next nine years. I then became Assistant Director of Pharmacy Operations at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and have been in this position for 5 years. Currently, I am studying for my Masters of Administrative Science degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University which I hope to complete by June 2006.

My career in pharmacy continues to exceed my expectations and is full of challenges that enable me to grow and move forward. Here are some highlights that have special significance for me when I:

• Presented a controlled substances diversion prevention poster and presentation at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists national meeting and the NJ Society of Health-System-Pharmacists.




As in past years, this year’s leading event was a huge success! Two hundred attendees gathered during this jam packed day to network, exchange information, earn continuing education credits and see the latest on pharmaceutical products and technology. This once-a-year opportunity brings NJSHP members together to garner the most recent information on cutting-edge pharmacy issues. The meeting opened with students having some learning fun by competing in the College Bowl. This “jeopardy style” format never disappoints. Congratulations to the winning team from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. Directors had the occasion to hear Edward Krenzelok, Pharm.D. from the The Pittsburgh Poison Center present about the most likely biological and chemical agents that may be involved in terrorist events. Introduced last year, a series of 15-minute presentations were on the slate so that attendees could earn 1 CE	credit and learn new information in these diverse areas. As an example, significant papers in pharmacotherapy covered several areas: • lipid lowering with statins after acute coronary syndromes • SSRI’s in childhood depression • antifungal therapy for invasive aspergillosis • palifermine for orgal mucositis after intensive therapy for hematologic cancers • comparison of albumin and saline for fluid resuscitation in the ICU • and prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy with sodium bicarbonate. The exhibitor forum is always a big hit where pharmacists and students can casually chat with pharmaceutical representatives and catch the latest happenings. NJSHP thanks this year’s exhibitors for their consistent support throughout the years of this valuable meeting. In another important segment to this Annual Meeting, sixteen participants contributed to the Poster Session for three winning spots.	See the separate legend for winners and poster titles. After attendees had time to relax and network at the cocktail reception, Rob Adamson kicked off the Installation Dinner in which state and regional chapter officers were installed. Keynote Speaker Marvin Shepherd, Ph.D. gave a thought provoking session entitled “The Truth and Consequences of Drug Importation.” Four major awards were given to three exceptional pharmacy professionals and one student. Don’t miss the separate write-up about the contributions of your peers! The Annual Meeting is the flagship event for NJSHP that requires intense planning throughout the year. Thanks to the hard work of Stella Williams and all the Board Members who selflessly gave of their time to make this an event to remember! *Mark the date for the 2006 Annual Meeting – Wednesday, March 29.*



Up Close and Personal continued from the index
NJSHP has been shining point in my career, not because of my accomplishments, but because of the many people that helped and influenced me. I have served NJSHP as President-Elect, 2005 – Present; Board Director of Organizational Affairs, 2002 – Present; 2001-2002 North Chapter President; and 2000-2001 North Chapter President- Elect. To stand in the company with some of the most inspiring, brilliant, and influential members of our profession is truly a rewarding experience. Carlo Lupano, Paul Malacrida, and George Piltz were each a driving force for me to get involved with the Society in 2000. This group’s conviction and belief in pharmacy practice set the stage for my loyalty and commitment to NJSHP. From there I met some incredible pharmacy leaders like Chuck Aaronson, Russ Lazzaro, and Joe Walker. Each of these gentlemen has served as role models for their examples of leadership and dedication to pharmacy practice. Words simply are not enough about Eric Hola, Pam Allen, Drew Misuro, and Rob Adamson.	Their intelligence, values, ethics, and enthusiasm towards their work and the profession of pharmacy set the gold standard of pharmacy practice that all professionals should aspire to meet. There are countless other NJSHP members I would like to mention and thank. I think NJSHP for me has been about the culture of sharing, respect, and mentoring that all of its members exemplify. I am honored to be among the best pharmacy professionals and practitioners. I find that the pharmacy profession is becoming more utilized and recognized with contributions to decisions that extend beyond just drug information. Studies have proven processes and patient outcomes are improved when a pharmacy practitioner participates with the organization or process. The future of the pharmacy profession hinges on our many associations’ and members’ abilities to advertise, promote, and publicize their worth and value to all aspects of medical care. The pharmacy profession must insure that all medical practitioners and legislative bodies are informed and reminded of the importance of the pharmacy practitioners’ role and contribution to healthcare. I’ve found in my career that the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment is enthusiasm. This hard work and enthusiasm translates to better care and outcomes for your patient. Pharmacy professionals need to share information,	ideas, and work to promote patient care and the profession of pharmacy. Working together insures the best ideas and solutions are delivered to our patients and benefit our profession. While I’ve been fortunate to work in a career I love, I’ve been as fortunate in my personal life. I am married to Diane, a Cardiac/Telemetry Special Procedures Nurse at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. I proposed to my wife in Van Saun Park in Bergen County while down on one knee (complete with a rose and lighted candle on top of a small table with a lace doily) under a weeping willow tree. People passing by thought we were doing a commercial, because we were formally dressed for an upcoming dinner. My three children (two boys and a girl) ages 13,10, and 7 keep me very busy. I’ve coached every sports team they’ve been on (soccer, baseball, lacrosse) and look forward to many more years of being called “Coach Mitch.” I am also actively involved with the Boy Scouts of America as an Assistant Scoutmaster. As a family we enjoy baseball, vacations, camping and bowling.


GREGORY A. SANTORA – PHARMACIST OF THE YEAR LEADERSHIP AWARD Charles Arrison, R.Ph., Director of Pharmacy at Deborah Heart and Lung, received this prestigious award. The Gregory A. Stantora – Pharmacist of the Year Award embodies core values and skills such as excellent leadership, strategic planning, patient focused pharmaceutical care, pharmacy process management, information and analysis and human resource focus. Charles’ pharmacy career has without doubt modeled these values and unique skill set. He is recognized at Deborah Hospital as a financially responsible leader. As well, Charles has had a strong impact on maintaining both the Society and chapter financial picture during his tenure as an officer. Charles has developed and maintained impressive patient care programs. His focus on all aspects of performance improvement has led him to continually be a leader in responding to JCAHO accreditation standards. Charles commitment to staff development is evidenced by the low turnover at Deborah. Congratulations to Charles on his unique contributions to pharmacy.	dialysis and the pharmacy managed heparin protocol that yielded significant results better than the Thompson weight base heparin protocol. Rich has also served NJSHP in several leadership roles at both the chapter and state level. PHARMACY TECHNICIAN AWARD As this year’s recipient of the Pharmacy Technician Award, Sandra Hoffman, C.Ph.T. has been an integral part of technology implementation at all campuses of the South Jersey Health Care System. As the lead expert for the system’s automated dispensing system, Omni-Cell, Sandra maintains items and user databases, answers user inquiries, trains users and manages purchasing for the department. Sandra’s strong planning skills came into play during the smooth consolidation of two acute care facilities into a new state-of-the-art regional medical center. During this transition, Sandy was successfully able to decrease inventory by nine percent while adding 17 new Omni-Cells within just seven days. Sandy demonstrates a strong commitment to quality and has been a recipient of her	organization’s STAR (Strive to Achieve Recognition) Award for the past two consecutive years. DEAN SCIARRONE STUDENT AWARD Like father, like daughter! Mary Barna, this year’s recipient of the Dean Sciarrone Student Award, credits her greatest influence to her pharmacist father. Starting at the young age of 8, Mary often accompanied her Rutgers Graduate Class of ’73 dad to annual NJSHP meetings where she would informally chat with pharmaceutical sales representatives. Her father’s enthusiasm caught on in molding Mary to be a serious future pharmacy professional. As an active leader in Rho Chi, Phi Lambda Sigma and Alpha Zeta Omega, Mary also enjoys her oncology and infectious disease courses. She is setting her goals to apply for a residency and plans to join a hospital as a clinical specialist. This award holds personal relevance for her as she notes that Dean Sciarrone was one of her father’s professors.

PHARMACIST PRACTITIONER AWARD Richard J. Artymowicz, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS received this honorable award. As Clinical Coordinator at Burdette Tomlin Memorial, Rich combines his unique skill sets to perform consistently above the expectations of his administration and community. His leadership qualities are demonstrated in everyday practice which includes daily physician rounding, prescribing by protocol through the pharmacokinetics, anticoagulation and parenteral nutrition services, provision of drug information and pharmacotherapy consults through the formal consultation service, coordination and maintenance of the ADR and DUE programs and precepting of doctor of pharmacy candidates. Rich’s greatest accomplishments at Burdette include planning and implementation for inpatient hemo-dialysis
		As expected, the student chapter has had a busy and productive year. Here’s a snapshot of its latest happenings: 2/10 – Fourteen members visited St. Peter’s Children Hospital to cheer 20 children ranging from infants to teenagers. Read the accompanying article Caring Hearts for Pediatric Patients for more details. 2/16 – A chapter meeting was held to finalize teams for the annual College Bowl competition and discuss upcoming events. Rutgers will have 6 teams with 4 members each for the College Bowl. Twenty members attended. 3/9 – Eleven members attended a special chapter meeting to conduct officer elections for the 2005-2006 academic year. Congratulations to President Elect, Greg Abendroth; Treasurer, Marilyn Novell; Secretary, Jennifer Cimoch;		Pharmacy Governing Council Representative, Renata Dul. 3/24 – Our program “Perspectives on Rotations” was a huge success with 80 students in attendance. Clinical preceptors and sixth-year pharmacy students conducted a panel discussion to address underclassmen’s concerns about clinical rotations and the lottery process. We’d like to extend our thanks to Pfizer Pharmaceuticals for their support in sponsoring this program, acquainting students about job opportunities within the industry and distributing promotional items in advance. 4/6 – We held a practice session for all teams to gear up for the College Bowl competition and the Annual Meeting. Dr. Linda (Houle) Spooner, chapter advisor, was our mediator.


§ The Senate confirmed the nomination of Michael O. Leavitt as Secretary of Health and Human Services. § Confirmation hearings offered a sneak peak at the congressional agenda with several issues impacting health-system pharmacy at the forefront: • Medicare Modernization Act in January 2006 Republicans pledged to reject major amendments to the benefit this year although many lawmakers suggested that technical corrections could be necessary to ensure smooth implementation. • Drug Importation With continuing pressure from the public for legalization of prescription drug importation, Leavitt noted that he would consider importation if the practice is proven safe and cost effective. • Patient Safety Leavitt and several senators identified patient safety as a priority, particularly related to medical error reporting. A renewed commitment was expressed to improve health information technology. • FDA Reform/Drug Safety Due to increased scrutiny for the FDA to ensure safety of our drug supply, Leavitt was asked to expedite naming a new FDA head. • Medicaid Medicaid could be a prime target for cost containment strategies due to President Bush’s promise to halve the budget deficit in five years. § The Combat Meth Act was introduced to restrict the sale of nonprescription cold medicines that contain pseudoephedrine. • Pharmacy employees (licensed pharmacist or pharmacy technician) would be required to check photo I.D.s and keep a log of everyone who buys pseudoephedrine-based products. No person would be permitted to purchase more than 9 grams of the substance within a 30-day period unless dispensed with a valid prescription. Some exceptions do apply. § The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final regulations		(Jan. 28 ’05) to implement the new Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit that will begin on January 1, ’06. Here are ASHP issues of key importance to pharmacists: • Definition of “Dispensing Fee” • P&T Committee – CMS’ proposed rule sought comment on whether a Prescription Drug Plan (PDP’s) P&T Committee’s decisions should be binding on the plan, and whether more than one physician and pharmacist on the P&T Committee should be independent and free from conflicts of interest. • Formulary Development CMS asked for comment on what criteria and standards the agency should use to determine that a plan’s formulary system that is not based on the USP model classification system does not discriminate against certain classes of eligible Medicare beneficiaries. • Medication Therapy Management Programs (MTMPs) CMS admitted that the agency does not “have extensive experience requiring or reimbursing for MTMPs, sought comments on a multitude of issues regarding best practices, components, qualifications and quality assurance requirements.” § ASHP responded to the CMS February 4 proposed rule that would adopt standards for an electronic prescription drug program under Title I of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. (MMA). § ASHP responded to the CMS March 4 proposed rule that would implement a competitive acquisition program for certain Medicare Part B drugs not paid on a cost or prospective payment system basis, as required by the MMA. § ASHP provided comments on the FDA March 14, 2003 Federal Register notice requesting comments on the agency’s proposed rule that would require manufacturers to place bar codes on drug products and blood. § ASHP adopted a policy on counterfeit drugs with a purpose to encourage the FDA to develop and implement regulations to restrict or prohibit licensed drug distributors from purchasing legend drugs from unlicensed entities and to document in the distribution chain the original source of drugs and chain of custody from the manufacturer to the pharmacy.		§ CMS May 18 proposed rule eliminates mention of funding for allied health professional education, particularly for pharmacy residency program. CMS stated that the agency was ending reasonable-cost, pass-through funding for second-year specialized pharmacy residency programs because CMS determined that second-year residencies would not qualify for reasonable cost pass-through payment because it is not currently the ‘industry norm’ for hospitals to require completion of these programs before begging work in these specialties. • NJSHP sent a letter on June 13 to the CMS to protest the agency’s decision not to restore funding for specialty residency programs. • NJSHP also contacted the offices of Senators Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg to enlist their support for funding for pharmacist education. • ASHP conducted a survey that showed 82% of hospitals that employ clinical pharmacy specialists require specialized pharmacy residency training for these practitioners.