AMCP Foundation Announces Recipients of 2018 Best Poster Contests

Alexandria, Va., April 27, 2018 — The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Foundation is delighted to announce winners of its 2018 Best Poster Contests. The recipients were recognized April 26 at the AMCP Foundation Awards Ceremony during the AMCP Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting in Boston, Mass.

The 2018 awardees are: 

Azzi and Khan (center)  

Best Student Pharmacist Poster: Irfan Khan and

and Brigitte Azzi, students at Touro College of Pharmacy in New York. Poster title: “First-Line Treatment of Schizophrenia: Are Children and Adolescents Benefiting from Newer, More Frequently Prescribed Second Generation Antipsychotics?” The research noted that development of secondary diseases due to weight gain is a concern for patients on antipsychotic drug therapies, especially in our adolescent population who require longer term therapy. Without clear guidance, physicians must utilize clinical judgment to decide most appropriate therapy based on patient response. Khan and Azzi emphasize the need for further research to improve our practices of adolescent schizophrenia. Best practices of managing adverse events of first and second generation antipsychotic therapies will help us serve our patients best while managing healthcare expenditures. 

Bagwell (second from left)  

Best Resident or Fellow Poster: Sage Bagwell, PharmD, a year-one managed care pharmacy resident at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Commonwealth Medicine in Clinical Pharmacy Services. Poster title: “An Evaluation to Determine the Most Cost-effective Site of Care for Delivery of High-cost Infused Medications in a State Medicaid Population.” Bagwell’s research noted that as we continue to find alternative routes to oral therapies and develop innovative therapies for high-cost disease states, it is important to identify cost containment strategies among our populations. Bagwell is stepping into this space by looking at cost variations specific to Medicaid sites of care for patients receiving infusions. This research will allow us to optimize patient care as well as cost savings.

Best Graduate Student Poster: Casey Tak, MPH, a PhD candidate at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy. Poster title: “Effect of a Prescription Order Requirement for Pharmacist-Administered Vaccination on Zoster Vaccination Rates.” Vaccine administration is a common service patients seek from their community pharmacist yet Zoster continues to have low vaccination rates. Tak explored patient access to Zoster by comparing states with and without prescription order mandate. Tak showed an effective strategy to improve vaccination rates for patients indicated for Zoster is to limit restrictions on pharmacist administration. This opens conversation on patient access to preventive care. (Tak was not present at the ceremony) 

This year’s competitions drew 112 entries, which were judged on criteria such as scientific merit; strength of conclusions; relevance of research to managed care pharmacy; clarity of materials; and knowledge of subject matter during the presentation. 

“Research is the lifeblood of our profession,” said Susan A. Cantrell, RPh, CAE, AMCP Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the AMCP Foundation Board of Trustees. “The winners of the Foundation’s prestigious poster competition have demonstrated a commitment to evidence-based knowledge that will help continually improve the way we deliver care.”

Since 2002, the poster competitions have provided an opportunity for new practitioners to demonstrate scientific expertise along presentation, poster development and technical skills. The Foundation also periodically invites established researchers to compete for topical Best Poster Awards. 

“The Foundation is committed to elevating excellence in research,” said Paula J. Eichenbrenner, CAE, Executive Director of the AMCP Foundation. “We are delighted to welcome CVS Health as the funding partner for our Best Poster Awards, because they share our dedication to thought leadership, critical analysis and the application of new findings.”

Each poster awardee receives a $500 prize, a one-year AMCP membership and complimentary registration to the AMCP Nexus 2018 this October in Orlando, Florida. In addition to CVS Health, the Foundation thanks the judges and preceptors who supported the contest.

For more information on the AMCP Foundation, please visit www.amcpfoundation.org.