Virtual Coffee with the Board July 2025

The Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology’s (CAPhO) second Virtual Coffee with the Board took place on Wednesday, July 23, 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.

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CAPhO Vice President Nikki Blosser provided an update on the formation and status of the Competencies Technician and Assistants (COPTA) Task Force. The Co-Chairs and Task Force members are expected to be announced in the coming months.

Nikki Blosser also addressed the revised Sponsored Symposium selection process for CAPhO Conferences. The board implemented a policy that will be in effect for CAPhO Conference 2026 onwards whereby those involved in the selection of the Sponsorship Symposia sessions are not permitted to moderate or present in the Sponsored Symposia and/or Sponsor Events held during the conference. The Sponsored Symposia will be selected by a subgroup of the Conference Planning Task Force and Sponsorship Committee. If a subgroup member anticipates presenting a Sponsored Symposium at that year’s CAPhO Conference, their position on the subgroup will be replaced by a Board member.

Treasurer Nicole Kennedy spoke to the development of Education Policy and Procedure for Member-Driven Initiatives. Nicole outlined the criteria for initiatives, and listed examples of eligible and ineligible submissions, including:

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Eligible:

  • Independent study packages
  • External educational courses
  • Patient education materials
  • Clinical guidance documents
  • Clinical assessment and/or monitoring tools
  • Educational seminar

Ineligible:

  • Programs and materials developed external to CAPhO and its committees
  • Programs and materials receiving external sponsorship or grants for development
  • Programs and materials developed for CAPhO-based educational programs such as the annual conference, Oncology Fundamentals Day, non-sponsored CAPhO webinars and podcasts

Nikki provided an update on Lobby Day on behalf of Advocacy Committee Chair Jason Wentzell. CAPhO’s next Lobby Day topics will be informed by the outcomes at the upcoming CAPhO Leadership Summit taking place in Toronto in November.

Education Advanced Committee Chair Tom McFarlane spoke on behalf of Research Committee Chair Laura Minard regarding changes to the Research Grant Application Process. Beginning this year, there will be an annual call for applications rather than a twice per year call. There has also been a new requirement added, whereby applicants must submit a letter of intent prior to the submission of the full application. Members with an approved letter of intent will be invited to submit a full application by October 26, 2025. Letters of intent can be submitted beginning the week of August 4, 2025, and the deadline to submit is September 8, 2025.

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Tom also noted the Research Community of Practice will host three virtual sessions per year to bring members together for meaningful discussions about oncology pharmacy research topics. The next Research Community of Practice virtual session will take place on September 11, 2025 at 12:00pm PDT. Information on how to attend the next virtual session will be announce to members via email and via the CAPhO website closer to the session date.

Nikki highlighted upcoming CAPhO’s 2026 Conference, taking place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan from April 23-26, 2026. Nikki also noted that registration for CAPhO’s Oncology Fundamentals Day 2025 (October 18, 2025) has opened, and early bird registration rates are available until Wednesday, September 17, 2025.

Nikki also noted CAPhO’s upcoming webinars and podcasts, noting that dates would be confirmed at a later time.

Webinars:
•    ISOPP CAPhO Symposium 2025 Highlights
•    CAPhO, BOPA, COSA, ISOPP Pharmacogenomics Debate

Podcasts:
•    Cannabis
•    Artificial Intelligence
•    Gliomas and Vorasidenib
 

Virtual Coffee Presentation - July 2025