Virtual Coffee with the Board April 2025 Summary
The Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology’s (CAPhO) inaugural Virtual Coffee with the Board took place on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 11:00 PDT via Zoom, and provided members with an opportunity to engage and connect directly with CAPhO’s Board of Directors in a casual, discussion-based setting. Directors took turns highlighting recently completed and planned CAPhO initiatives and then responded to questions.
To better facilitate open dialogue, the session was not recorded; however, below is a summary of the information shared. The Virtual Coffee with the Board events take place quarterly.
Virtual Coffee with the Board April 2025 Summary
CAPhO President Michelle Koberinski discussed the planned CAPhO Conference host-City rotation, which included:
- 2026 Saskatoon (west)
- 2027 Montreal (central)
- 2028 Halifax (east)
- 2029 Toronto (central)
- 2030 Calgary (west)
- 2031 Montreal (central)
- 2032 Halifax (east)
- 2033 Toronto (central)
- 2034 Calgary (west)
The above locations were chosen based on each destination’s ability to accommodate CAPhO Conference attendance and event requirements, maximize cost savings that indirectly benefit members, and ensure fair geographic rotation across the country.
Vice President Nikki Blosser reviewed CAPhO’s Strategic Plan for 2025-2028, and highlighted CAPhO’s Vision, Mission, and how CAPhO is using the following areas to promote, support, and advance oncology pharmacy practice within Canada:
- Communication and Engagement
- Education
- Advocacy
- Research
- Organizational Excellence
It was advised there is an upcoming webinar to further discuss the plan.
Advocacy Committee Chair and Past President Jason Wentzell presented CAPhO’s Leadership Summit initiative, which takes place November 7 and 8, 2025
at the Alt Hotel in Toronto, Ontario. The purpose of the leadership summit is to inform CAPhO’s advocacy initiatives for advancing oncology pharmacy practice, patient care and health policy within Canada (priority three of the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan), and to highlight the value of oncology pharmacy within healthcare.
Treasurer and former Education Fundamentals Committee Chair Nicole Kennedy spoke to CAPhO’s recent and upcoming bilingual offerings. As part of its commitment to inclusion and accessibility, CAPhO is working to expand the availability of French-language resources.
Nicole Kennedy also spoke about CAPhO’s newly introduced Professional Liability Insurance program for members, which is open for enrollment until the July 1, 2025 deadline. The PLI program offers members comprehensive, cost-effective coverage that exceeds the Provincial Regulator requirements in all Provinces where the program is offered (excluding Québec).
Michelle Koberinski highlighted CAPhO’s commitment to collaboration and engagement and noted that CAPhO will send representatives to the British Oncology Pharmacy Association (BOPA) 2025 Conference, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, from October 3-5, 2025.
Jason Wentzell spoke about the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists’ (CSHP) drug shortage advocacy efforts and noted that CAPhO is also raising awareness, including through its Drug Shortages Infographic series.
Research Committee Chair Laura Minard spoke to CAPhO’s Research initiatives, including the Research Community of Practice, which aims to support CAPhO members who are new to research by connecting them with experienced oncology pharmacy researchers who can offer guidance on identifying a research topic, choosing a methodology, and preparing for, completing, and publishing oncology pharmacy research. Laura invited ideas on how to bring people together outside of CAPhO’s annual conference.