US Pharm. 2006;8:HS28-HS31.

More than 400 hematology and oncology pharmacy professionals from around the country gathered in Orlando to attend the Second Annual Meeting of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) on June 15.

Those at the meeting had the opportunity to attend more than 40 educational sessions, including 20 workshops, seven educational symposia, six Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist (BCOP) recertification talks, presentations on six significant papers, a new drug update session, and a report on HOPA's new neutropenia prevention initiative. In addition, the meeting participants listened to a keynote lecture delivered by Dr. William E. Evans, PharmD, CEO and Director of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. Dr. Evans detailed the work being done by his team in the area of cancer pharmacogenomics research.

The educational offerings at HOPA 2006 ranged from advanced lectures to basic reviews for new pharmacy practitioners to tech-friendly workshops for entry-level pharmacy professionals--a good indicator of HOPA's dedication to the goal of including programming for members of all professional levels. In addition to the educational sessions, the attendees had an opportunity to view 44 posters--more than twice the number presented at HOPA 2005--and to visit with 22 vendors with exhibits at the meeting. Corporate sponsors of conference events included Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer/Onyx, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, ImClone, Merck, MGI, Novartis, Ortho Biotech, Pfizer, Roche, and Sanofi-Aventis.

BCOP Recertification
The BCOP recertification program at HOPA 2006 allowed those present to attend lectures to earn a total of six credits toward BCOP recertification, credits that had previously been available only through a written examination administered by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties (BPS). The flagship program, a joint venture of HOPA, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and BPS, will also offer the same six accredited lectures at the annual meetings of ACCP (October 2006) and ASHP (December 2006).

Prevention of Neutropenia--Best Practices
HOPA 2006 also included a summary of HOPA's "best practices" initiative devoted to preventing neutropenia, a serious complication of chemotherapy. The initiative included a roundtable discussion held in April about neutropenia prevention and treatment. A final portion of the initiative will be a monograph that details the neutropenia prevention practices of various institutions. The monograph will be made available in print and online for continuing education credit. Amgen provided funding for the neutropenia initiative.

HOPA 2007
HOPA's 3rd Annual Meeting will be held June 14 to 17, 2007, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. More information on the meeting, on becoming a HOPA member, and on other HOPA activities can be obtained by calling (877) 467-2791 (toll free) or by checking HOPA's Web site at www.hoparx.org.

HOPA welcomes not only pharmacists but also pharmacy interns, residents, technicians, researchers, and administrators specializing in hematology/oncology practice, as well as associated hematology/oncology practitioners, including nurses and physicians.

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