It is amazing to think that CAPhO is already 25 years old! It seems like just yesterday, this was a dream of Larry Broadfield's and now look at the thriving organization CAPhO has become! Larry always challenged us to do something astonishing, and I can certainly say that CAPhO is one of those things! I was the 4th CAPhO President, from 2003 to 2005, and CAPhO was still very young then. Let's take a little trip back in time:
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Lynne with Larry Broadfield at ISOPP 2002 in Vancouver, hosted by CAPhO |
In 2003, CAPhO had 52 members. We managed to hold our annual conference, the National Oncology Pharmacy Symposium (NOPS) in Toronto, ON despite being worried about the effect of a highly infectious disease - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS or SARS-CoV-1). SARS incidence was 8,422 cases worldwide, with a fatality rate of 11%.
n 2004, CAPhO published the first set of Standards of Practice. NOPS 2004 was held in Toronto, ON. Top priorities were education, travel grants, communication, national representation, professional specialty status and research. Gefitinib was a new drug approved by Health Canada for the third line therapy of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have failed prior platinum-based and docetaxel chemotherapy.
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Lynne beside her poster presentation at NOPS 2005 |
In 2005, CAPhO had 172 active members, with much of the growth attributed to the national conference. NOPS was held in Vancouver, BC for the first time ever, and a meeting rotation across the country was established. Poster Awards were established and travel grants were expanded. Bortezomib was a new drug approved by Health Canada and was indicated for the treatment of multiple myeloma in patients whose disease has progressed with at least two previous chemotherapeutic regimens.
For me personally, CAPhO has provided a network of friends and colleagues across the country, an opportunity to learn about new advances in oncology, and a chance to give back a little to a profession that means so much! I have enjoyed many other volunteer roles with CAPhO, beyond being the President, and with each of these roles, I have learned and grown professionally and personally. It is definitely an honour to be involved with this tremendous organization!
As we look ahead to the future, I know CAPhO will continue to grow, shine and push the boundaries. It will continue to be a place where oncology Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians from across Canada can meet and collaborate and do astonishing things for our patients with cancer. Congratulations to CAPhO on your 25th Anniversary! And here's to 25 more years!