Precision Insights Podcast
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40 episodes
This time around, we're joined by Corrie Sanders, Founder and CEO of Huna Health, Hawai'i’s first and only pharmacogenomic consulting company, as well as President of the Hawai’i Pharmacists Association! We had a riveting conversation with Corrie about her journey as a pharmacist and pharmacogenetics (PGx) advocate, as well as what catapulted her into starting her own practice. By advocating for the diverse population of Hawai’i, Corrie has developed a strong understanding of patient needs and safety. She discusses with us some of the healthcare challenges faced in Hawai’i such as lack of provicers, funding, and grants, as well as some of the resources that people can get involved with.
This time around, we had an exciting conversation with Shawn Bjorndal, founder of RPhAlly! He joined us for an exciting episode to share his journey in precision medicine with the intertwined perspective of pharmacy. In this episode, you’ll gain a fresh outlook on Shawn's experience in the field from being a former retail pharmacist to a founder of an incredible networking platform, and what it's like bringing together large groups of pharmacy professionals as a leader in the space. Show Notes: (0:28): Shawn Bjorndal introduction (1:50): Life as a retail pharmacist (4:09): How RPhAlly came about (15:02): Pharmacogenetics (PGx) and its role in the industry (20:01): Key learnings over the past five years (24:03): Closing remarks
This time around, we had an illuminating conversation with Karen Merritt, a founding member of a patient advocacy organization, Advocates for Universal DPD/DPYD Testing! She joined us for an exciting episode to share her journey into pharmacogenetics (PGx) that started with her mom’s story with colon cancer. This episode, you’ll gain a fresh perspective on Karen's experience in DPD/DPYD testing and PGx, her journey into precision medicine, and a discussion surrounding the importance of making these tests the standard of care. Show Notes: (0:28): Karen Merritt introduction (4:48): Navigating the learning curves (5:38): Dealing with a rare variant (10:52): About Advocates for Universal DPD/DPYD Testing (14:00): Barriers to testing (18:31): The next steps for the organization and testing (28:46): Closing remarks
Join us for our first episode of 2023! In this episode, we talk with Thu Nguyen about transitions of care in the medical space. Thu is a clinical pharmacist with six years of experience in inpatient clinical pharmacy. She has developed a passion for spreading awareness about the importance of transitions of care and ensuring that there is a seamless process in place for when patients are transitioning from provider to provider or healthcare team to healthcare team. Show Notes: (0:25): Thu Nguyen introduction (1:22): How do you define transitions of care (TOC)? (3:14): The efficacy of home medication recommendations (7:42) The barriers of data sharing (9:33): Interoperability in TOC (13:11): Measuring the results of TOC (15:11): Successful models of TOC (18:17): Barriers for TOC (24:50): Closing remarks
In this week’s podcast episode, join Dave Wolfe from GenXys and Jena Quinn, owner of Perfecting Peds, for the second episode of a two-part series. This week, they talked all about maternal health and the role that precision medicine plays in ensuring patient safety and efficiency all around. Perfecting Peds provides clinical services to help you better understand your child’s medications to offer you peace of mind. They work with your pediatricians and sub-specialists to provide the safest and most cost-effective medication regimen for your child. Hosted by Dave Wolfe, this podcast will provide insight into the role of precision medicine and pediatric medicine. Show notes: (0:29): About Jena Quinn (4:28): Struggles in the industry (7:30): Unique challenges in maternal health (18:22): Medication adherence during pregnancy (24:22): How precision medicine ties into maternal health (30:41): Closing remarks
This week, we were joined by Melissa Turner, a retail pharmacist turned owner of Tarheel PGx Consulting, a pharmacogenetics consulting company. In this episode, you’ll hear about her transition during 2020 when she decided to make a shift in her career and pursue an entrepreneurial path toward work she felt passionate about. Precision Insights is GenXys’ exclusive podcast where we are joined by special guests in or adjacent to the pharmacogenetics space. With bite-sized episodes, we create podcasts that are tailored to fit easily into your morning or afternoon commute. Show Notes: (0:19): Guest introduction (1:32): The beginning of Melissa's journey (3:37): Transitioning during the pandemic (6:36): Digging into pharmacogenetics (8:31): Melissa on Dr. Jamie Wilkey's Confidence Academy (12:52): The entrepreneurial side of pharmacy (18:58): The impact of PGx on patients (21:51): Ways to increase our understanding of PGx (26:11): Closing remarks
In this week’s podcast episode, Elizabeth Newman, a retail pharmacist who transitioned intro writing, joins Dave Wolfe from GenXys for an upbeat episode about Elizabeth's journey in pharmacy, her newer journey in writing, and where she's headed. Hosted by Dave Wolfe, this podcast will provide insight into the experience of making big life changes and creating your own path, focusing on the feeling of burnout, pharmacy, and precision medicine. Show notes: (0:12): Elizabeth Newman introduction (2:45): The transition from pharmacy to writing (4:30): Self-talk during big changes (8:00): Blending precision medicine and writing together (14:32): "Transcend the box" (20:16): Taking the leap (23:55): Closing remarks
In this week’s podcast episode, join Dave Wolfe from GenXys and Jena Quinn, owner of Perfecting Peds as they talk about Jena’s experience in pediatrics, her journey into precision medicine, and a discussion surrounding early genotypes and how they will enhance future health. Hosted by Dave Wolfe, this podcast will provide insight into the role of precision medicine and pediatric medicine. Show notes: (0:28): About Jena Quinn (1:50): Perfecting Peds (5:31): What is a medical daycare? (8:26): Common medication issues among medically complex populations (11:26): Key indicators around deprescribing (20:37): Pharmacogenetic variants and neonates (28:05): Mental health and pediatrics (32:23): Closing remarks
Join us this week for an exciting follow-up episode with Dr. Martin Dawes, GenXys’ Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder, and Andrea Collins, a Clinical Pharmacist who leads Project Management at GenXys. This week, the tables are turned as they continue their engaging conversation from Part I about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into implementing pharmacogenetics into primary care. Hosted by Dr. Martin Dawes, this podcast will provide insight into pharmacogenetics and its implementation into primary care with a focus on the pharmacy. Show Notes: (1:09): Andrea Collins introduction (3:11): What is a pharmacogenetic (PGx) test? (6:36): Are PGx tests covered? (12:36): PGx and Clinical Decision Support Software (CDSS) (14:27): Medication reviews and PGx (17:10): PGx through a pharmacist's view (18:59): How will data from a PGx test be used? (21:16): How do I choose a lab to do my test? (24:26): How are pharmacists a key role? (26:17): Closing remarks
In this week’s podcast episode, Andrea Collins, a Clinical Pharmacist who leads Project Management at GenXys is joined by Dr. Martin Dawes, GenXys’ Chief Scientific Officer, and Co-Founder. Listen as they engage in a lively conversation about the implementation of pharmacogenetics in primary care and the work that goes on behind the scenes to make it happen. Hosted by Andrea Collins, this podcast will provide clear direction into how pharmacogenetics is implemented into primary care. Show Notes: (0:35): Dr. Martin Dawes introduction (1:50): PGx in primary care (3:42): Gamechangers in PGx (6:25): Getting started with PGx (9:55): Why primary care? (14:59): Why is clinical decision support important for implementation? (19:55): Overcoming concerns over PGx testing (25:07): UK report on precision prescribing (29:20): Closing remarks
Dr. Jamie Wilkey, Founder of PGx Consulting Confidence Academy and CEO of Arches Health is joined by our CMO, Dr. Bernard Esquivel, to share her thoughts on implementing pharmacogenetics into point of care and the changing role of pharmacists. Show Notes: (0:15) - Dr. Jamie Wilkey introduction (3:08) - PGx as a piece of the puzzle (5:16) - Delivering PGx to point of care (9:20) - Education and training (12:02) - The role of the pharmacist (15:49) - Trends for pharmacists (17:52) - Takeaways for pharmacists (20:53) - Closing remarks
Dr. Asha Pai Bohannon, PharmD, CDCES, CPT, Owner & CEO of Patient Advocacy Initiative (PAI) Wellness Group joins us to discuss holistic approaches to patient care, patient empowerment and education, and making an impact. Show Notes: (0:23) - Dr. Asha Pai Bohannon introduction (1:44) - Dr. Asha's holistic approach (7:02) - Patient empowerment (11:11) - Diabetes success story (18:15) - Helping pharmacists become their own advocates (21:45) - Making an impact (26:50) - Provider Collaboration (28:00) - Closing remarks
Sue Paul, RPh, Founder of SyneRxgy Consulting and Co-Founder of Medipreneurs and PGx101, and Dr. Amy Van Milligan, join us to discuss deprescribing, collaborative care, and pharmacogenetic success stories. Show Notes: (00:11) - Introducing Sue Paul & Dr. Amy Van Milligan (3:00) - Benefit of introducing pharmacogenetics to Dr Van Milligan's clinic (4:15) - Eliminating Trial and Error (12:14) - Benefits of having a pharmacist on a care team (15:17) - Deprescribing success story (24:55) - Adoption of pharmacogenetics in cardiology pain management and opioids (26:21) - Another success story (32:00) - Advice to pharmacists (33:18) - Collaborative care (34:38) - Sue's certification program
Dr. Catalina Lopez-Correa, Chief Scientific Officer of Genome Canada as well as Founder & President of ODNS Canada, joins our very own Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bernard Esquivel, to share her expertise on how genomics can reach its full potential, tackle health disparities, create equity, and have a global impact. Show Notes: (00:25) – Introducing Dr. Catalina Lopez-Correa (02:55) – The intersection of COVID-19 and Genomics (06:10) – How data sharing will help pharmacogenomics reach its full potential (14:30) – The delivery of pharmacogenomics into clinical care (19:30) – Using genomics to tackle health disparities and create equity (25:20) – What is the future strategy for using genomics? (32:30) – Key takeaways for clinicians, the industry, and academia (36:20) – Catalina’s message for women, minorities, and intersectional groups pursing science (38:25) – Closing Remarks
Neda Leonard, CEO of Rx Gene IQ and a Dual Board-Certified Pharmacist in Pharmacotherapy and Geriatrics, joins us today, with her patient, Joey Stanford, to discuss how precision medicine identified the underlying cause of Joey’s lifelong health issues. Show Notes: (00:35) – Introducing Neda (01:30) – Neda Leonard’s background and professional interests (07:00) – Introducing Joey Stanford (07:50) – Joey's Story (12:30) – The Complications of Multiple Insurers (15:00) – Joey’s two big discoveries from Pharmacogenetics (18:50) – Say Goodbye to Trial and Error (19:30) – How to solve the patient’s puzzle (24:00) – How to decongest the “Polypharmacy Highway” (25:00) – Education and Advocacy to Scale (26:40) – What is the problem and why are there so few solutions for it? (31:40) – Using a team effort to detect which patients benefit the most (35:00) – Closing remarks
Wrenda Teeple, the Chief Clinical Officer and Director of Regulatory Affairs at Arbit Consulting, joins us today to provide her expertise on PGx implementation, study designs, and the tension between the evidence we have and the evidence that we need. Show Notes: 1:30 – Introductions 5:40 –Wrenda’s Passion for PGx 6:45 – STRIPE and Playing the PGx Long game 11:05 – Studying PGx 13:25 – What is the validity and implications of the data? 18:47 – The tension improving quality of evidence and implementing PGx today. 24:00 – Under Construction 26:20 – Wrenda’s key takeaways 29:00 – Resources to investigate
Nita Limdi, Professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham, who is also an amazing clinical pharmacist, renowned researcher and epidemiologist, joins us to talk about the power of mentorship, the way that genomic research is changing, and how race and issues of equity intersect with this important field. Show Notes: 1:41 Dr. Limdi’s introduction to pharmacogenetics 2:55 The value of mentorship 6:03 Qualities of a good mentor and how to find a mentor 8:12 Academic research from a clinical pharmacist’s perspective 9:48 The evolution of pharmacogenetic research 15:36 How pharmacogenetic implementation may be changing 20:47 The intersection between race and genomics 25:13 Equity, race, and genomic research 30:16 Final thoughts: The importance of diversity in genomic research, the impact of genomic research on the overall scientific community, and the implementation of genomics in practice
Stephen Creasy, the Director of Clinical Services at PharMerica, joins us to talk about how PharMerica approached pandemic response at their long-term care facilities, the potential of pharmacogenetics and precision medicine in long-term care settings, and the importance of embracing new technologies to improve patient care. Show Notes: 2:15 Stephen’s past experience and why he joined Pharmerica 5:40 Key takeaways working at Pharmerica / What is long-term care? 7:07 Pandemic response 9:10 Vaccine rollout 12:00 Application of pharmacogenetics in prescribing 16:24 How the vaccine rollout can inform the best approaches to future novel programs 18:10 Potential for pharmacogenetics in long term care settings 20:40 Challenges for precision medicine in long term care 22:34 Importance of embracing new technologies Find Stephen Creasy on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-creasy-3761a3121/
Jennifer Leib and Megan Anderson Brooks, Founder and Principal respectively of Innovation Policy Solution, joins us in this episode to discuss some of the most important US policies that relate to precision medicine, how COVID-19 has impacted the discussions surrounding the intersection of precision medicine and politics and the upcoming policy decisions that will shape the landscape of precision medicine in years to come. Show Notes: 1:04 - What does Innovation Policy Solutions do? 2:56 - What were your respective journeys to IPS? 7:45 - Politics and progress: what can regulations do? 15:20 - Recent changes in the regularization of lab-developed tests 25:46 - Pharmacists: how has COVID changed their role, and how does that affect PGx? 28:44 - The regulatory story behind value-based care 33:15 - The implications of gene patenting regulations 38:00 - Keep an eye out: the landscape and future of data sharing regulations 45:30 - Precision medicine and politics: The most important takeaways
Todd Sega is the Senior Vice President of Development and Strategy at Pharmacy Quality Solutions, or PQS, which is a company specialized in performance management solutions for pharmacies. Todd joined us in this episode to talk about value-based pharmacy services, and the current landscape of precision medicine and what types of quality measures might be developed in response to these changes. Show Notes: To ensure high quality of care, Pharmacy Quality Solutions (PQS) develops performance management solutions for pharmacies that help identify areas for operational enhancement, rebates, and financial programs. Todd shares insightful trends being seen within community pharmacies. 1:28 – History of PQS and quality measures 4:15 – PQS’s current role 7:30 – The relationship between community pharmacies and health plans before PQA was created 8:00 – Pharmacy services administrative organizations (PSAOs) 9:26 – The evolving “bridge” between community pharmacies and health plans 12:00 – Todd’s background 18:30 – The PQS Industry trend report 24:00 – Preparedness of pharmacies and payers to transition into outcome-based quality measures 25:24 – The correlation between adherence to antidepressant medication and other medications 26:56 – The focus of payers on mental health outcomes 29:35 – The opportunity for pharmacogenetics in community pharmacy 32:56 – Quality measures needed for the adoption of pharmacogenetics 35:08 – Impact of COVID-19 on the future of community pharmacies 38:40 – Hear more from Todd
Craig Beavers, the Cardiovascular Pharmacy Specialist at UK, Healthcare Director of Cardiovascular Services at Baptist Health Kentucky and Indiana, and Assistant Adjunct Professor with the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, joins us in this episode to discuss why pharmacists should be leaders in pharmacogenetics implementation, the next steps for PGx in health systems and how he thinks when it comes to comprehensive medication management. Show Notes: 1:55 - What led you to become a pharmacist and what led you to focus on cardiovascular pharmacy? 4:55 - The pharmacist’s perspective 8:18 - Research: focus and interests 10:45 - Pharmacogenetics in the context of cardiovascular disease 13:22 - The role of pharmacists in the future 18:45 - Comprehensive medication management 22:03 - Patient stories: where pharmacogenetics makes an impact 24:00 - The challenges of the next steps in PGx programs 27:51 - What technology can help health systems succeed 31:24 - The human connection in PGx implementation 33:30 - Craig's go-to PGx resources 34:40 - Here more from Craig
Behnaz Sarrami, a pharmacist and entrepreneur with a collaborative pharmacy consulting business known as Missouri Pharmacogenomics Consulting, joins us in this episode to discuss how pharmacists can approach physicians to deliver value-added pharmacy services, how to incorporate pharmacogenomics (PGx) into patient care as a collaborative practice pharmacist and the two main lessons she has learned about starting a pharmacogenetics consulting business. Show Notes: Many pharmacists want to explore different ways to operate at the top of their license Behnaz Sarrami is a pharmacist and entrepreneur with a collaborative pharmacy consulting business known as Missouri Pharmacogenomics Consulting, and she has shared some her own advice and experiences with pharmacy consulting. 0:24 - Behnaz’s background 1:04 - Pharmacists practicing at the top of their licenses 2:04 - The journey to Missouri Pharmacogenomics Consulting 3:45 - The challenges of getting started 8:05 - Two pieces of advice for other pharmacists 10:13 - Why pharmacogenetics? 12:02 - A holistic approach 15:35 - The business model: a simple overview 17:28 - What factors drive success? 20:59 - Hear more from Behnaz
John Papastergiou, arguably Canada's most famous pharmacist, business leader, educator, and pharmacy innovator, has joined us in this episode to tell us about the utilization of pharmacogenomics (PGx) in pharmacy practice, the changing role of pharmacists, and a groundbreaking study that showed the effectiveness of PGx for treating depression in a pharmacy setting. Show Notes: How can community pharmacists shape the future of pharmacogenetics? We’ve had a great conversation with John Papastergiou, a pharmacist and pharmacy owner who has not only implemented pharmacogenetics into his store, but has also conducted a study within his own pharmacy that proves the effectiveness of PGx in pharmacies for treating depression. 0.24 - John’s Background 1:52 - His work as a community pharmacist 5:23 - The changing role of pharmacists 8:47 - How services become commonplace 12:07 - John’s experiences with pharmacogenetics 13:36 - Proving that pharmacies can implement pharmacogenetics 21:46 - When PGx is the key: a patient story 25:16 - Reimbursement: the path to becoming the standard of care 28:35 - The importance of a holistic approach to prescribing 30:08 - What are the next steps? 33:00 - Hear more from John
Katherine (Katie) Capps, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the GTMRx Institute as well as Founder & President of Health2 Resources, joined us in this episode of Precision Insights to discuss what comprehensive medication management (CMM) is, and how pharmacogenetics can be used in the CMM process.
Colleen Keenan, Research Consultant of Advisory Board’s Clinical Innovators Council, joined us in this episode to discuss about how Clinical Innovators Council is making pharmacogenetics a more accessible concept for health system clients, current trends in how health systems are starting to implement and standardize PGx and the challenges around PGx implementation.
Sara Rogers, Director of the American Society of Pharmacovigilance (ASP) and Co-Chairman of the Pharmacogenomics Access and Reimbursement Coalition (PARC) joined us in this episode of Precision Insights to discuss the past, present and future of reimbursement for pharmacogenomics.
Melissa Badowski, Clinical Associate Professor and Clinical Pharmacist in HIV/Telemedicine for the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, joined us in this episode of Precision Insights to talk about her experience working as part of an inter-professional care team and using telehealth to deliver comprehensive medication management to vulnerable populations.
Jared Augenstein, Director of Manatt Health, joined us in this episode of Precision Insights to talk about the reimbursement trends for digital health, the limits of telehealth/virtual care and the opportunities it presents, and differentiating innovations that will improve outcomes, quality, and cost from those that won’t.
James Lu, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Helix, joined us to talk about the current state of genetics use in patient-centered care, the critical elements for successful large-scale genomics initiatives, and a vision to improve care delivery with reusable genetic information for life.
Erik Abel, VP Insights, Ursa Health & former Director of Clinical Transformation, Highmark Health, joined us to talk about ways to leverage data & technology to help clinicians make optimized treatment decisions, move towards a truly informed prescribing, and to manage system-level changes in healthcare. Erik is a subject matter expert in clinical operations, health IT and pharmacotherapeutics.
