The ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
Image: ashp.org

Since completing his pharmacy degree in 1995, Joseph Chebli has accrued substantial experience as a consultant pharmacist, medical services director, and business owner, in addition to earning his doctor of pharmacy at Shenandoah University in 2013. Active in the field, Joseph Chebli is a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

Established in 1942 as the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, ASHP is devoted to advocacy, career services, continuing education, and more, in support of health-system pharmacists across the country. The organization hosts a number of events throughout the year, including the Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition, which will take place this year in Las Vegas in December 2016.

The largest gathering of pharmacists in the world, the annual Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition focuses on patient care and safe medicating. Over the six-day event, more than 100 educational sessions will be presented, at which attendees can earn continuing education credits. Programming for pharmacy students is also offered.

The exhibition part of the event will take place over three days and provides pharmacy professionals with the opportunity to interact with more than 300 companies showcasing field-specific products and technological advances.

Temptation & Discernment

Book Review: Temptation & Discernment By Segundo Galilea

A missionary priest of the diocese of Santiago, Chile, Fr Galilea was born in 1928 and died in 2010. He was responsible for the formation of many missionary priests in Latin America, United States, and the Philippines. He authored several books in Spanish that were later translated into English. However, Temptation & Discernment remains one of his best and most famous works.

When I was ordained subdeacon, a priest and friend gifted me this little book. In the cover he scribbled: “may this little book (a great favorite of mine) be a help for you on the path to holiness on this joyful day.” I did not know what to expect of such a small book of 80 pages.

Seldom when faced with a choice do we, well-intended people, choose the one where evil is obvious. However, the most dangerous of evils are the ones that are camouflaged as good deeds. Christ warns of such evil and such work of the devil that is clothed in sheep and does great signs and wonders (Mat7:15 and Mat24:24). No greater place do we experience those temptations and require good discernment than in ministry; rigidity and fanaticism masquerading as Christian zeal or neglect of prayer justified as pressing pastoral needs for examples. Father Segundo brings to the forefront many ministry-specific temptations and presents means to discern them.

Temptation & Discernment is built on the teaching of three main mystics: St John of the Cross, Ignatius of Loyola, and Theresa of Avilla. Their work is synthesized in the first few pages of the book where the author presents criteria for discerning temptations. He then exposes the Demons of Ministry and the Demons of Prayers in two distinctive sections, each containing a one page presentation of a particular demon. Activism, making a farce out of trusting God, entrenchment, losing the feel for persons, motivation, depersonalized prayer, not nourishing faith, neglecting the Humanity of Christ are all but a short list of demons that we face in ministry and in prayer.

One of the subtle temptations of ministry described by Galilea is “preferring some people over others”. In the name of grooming, or mentoring, and while in its most debased form it is a discrimination based on race or ethnicity, Galilea describes its subtlety this way:

“Giving more time and taking more interest and being more available to people and members of the Christian community who have better human qualities: those who are more intelligent, more interesting and entertaining, more pleasant and attractive. Subtly relegated to second place, by contrast, are those who are less gifted: those who are dull, bland, less intelligent, and less attractive and charming… Ministry should not be guided only by the criterion of effectiveness, which seeks to invest preferentially in the highly gifted…It should give equal witness to the primary of fraternal charity, which prefers the shunned and forgotten.” (p.33)

The ease of read, and the depth of its short reflections made it also a favorite of mine, the temptations and discerning them will always be a challenge especially in ministry. However, our continuous progress in spirituality is an essential of our faithfulness. We were not called to be successful only to be faithful, and this short book shed some lights on the way to Christ.

Volunteer Opportunities at the American Medical Writers Association

American Medical Writers Association
Image: amwa.org

Healthcare executive Joseph Chebli is the VP of Clinical Service at JC Rx Consulting, LLC, which provides medical writings assistance to a variety of educational company provider. Joseph Chebli belongs to the American Medical Writers Association.

A professional organization dedicated to serving the needs of professional medical communicators, the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) encourages healthcare professionals to volunteer their time in support of the organization’s mission. Volunteers often contribute to ad-hoc special projects and task forces, performing functions such as developing online education activities, presenting webinars, and writing and editing articles. Volunteers also coordinate networking events at the chapter level and lead activities at the regional level.

To qualify for volunteer activities, candidates must hold current AMWA membership and commit to one or two conference calls per month. Volunteers generally serve on one or more AMWA committees, which include the Budget and Finance Committee, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, the Nomination Committee, and the Education Committee.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities at the American Medical Writers Association, visit http://www.amwa.org/volunteer.

Consultant Pharmacist Explained

consultant pharmacists

 

A healthcare executive based on the East Coast, Joseph Chebli is the co-founder of JC Rx Consulting in Belle Mead, New Jersey. In this capacity, Joseph Chebli serves as the VP of Clinical Operations and oversees delivery of consultant pharmacy services to healthcare facilities.

In recent years, consultant pharmacists have become an increasingly important part of the medical team, especially in the field of senior care. At the most basic level, consultant pharmacists are experts in medication therapy management who advise other health care providers on medication use by seniors. Because seniors account for more than one-third of all prescriptions in the United States, consultant pharmacists represent a vital resource for seniors and the health care facilities that care for them.

Perhaps most importantly, consultant pharmacists serve as advocates for disease prevention and healthy living. Consultant pharmacists must understand common diseases among older adults, as well as common medication-related issues that aggravate certain conditions. In addition to making medication plans easier for seniors to understand, consultant pharmacists help seniors select care plans that meet their financial needs.