Conferences and Educational Programs of ABHP

In 1985, the ABHP Executive Committee decided to extend its forum beyond the confines of the ASHP MCM. While keeping with its goals and objectives, the organization proposed the development of regional symposium and international conferences focusing on minority healthcare. Because of the potential for securing funding, the organization proposed the development of specific disease related conferencing that would focus on one common disease state in minority patient populations and rotated the conference to different geographical parts of the country throughout the year. The first medical topic was intended to focus on diabetes in the African American patients. Other proposed topics included: hypertension, asthma, geriatrics, cardiovascular, women’s health, breast and prostate cancer, and mental health disorders. The regional symposia were slow to start because of organizational logistics and planning.
          The organization presented its first international, multidisciplinary symposium in April of 1986, with the assistance of Expand Associates of Silver Spring, Maryland. The symposium entitled, "New Horizons In Cancer Chemotherapy and Treatment: A Focus On Special Populations" was presented in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Approximately, 150 health care professionals attended from all over the United States and the Caribbean. One of the goals of the conference was to draw attention to problems of cancer in populations of African descent throughout the United States and the Caribbean Islands. The conference hosted several renowned speakers and involved members at the highest level of the Jamaican government. In a cooperative and collaborative spirit, the ABHP was able to mobilize and include members of the Jamaican Ministry of Health, the National Medical Association, National Dental Association, National Black Nurses Association, National Pharmaceutical Association, and all the historically black colleges and universities Colleges of Pharmacy Alumni Associations. The conference concluded with three actions items, which included:
                  1. Advocating increased research, prevention, and treatment.
                  2. Emphasizing those malignancies to which blacks are differentially susceptible.
                  3. Development of holistic, multidisciplinary health care programs that transcend international
                      boundaries.
          In August 1990, the ABHP participates in first National Pharmacy Summit in Orlando, Florida. The National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA) hosted the summit. The highlight of the Summit included two nationally recognized speakers. Dr. Patricia Russell McCloud was introduced by NPhA President Henry Lewis at the opening session and she gave her famous speech “Carpe Diem” where she encouraged the attendees to recognize the importance of the Summit and to seize the moment to address the healthcare issues of concern in the African-American community. Dr. Louis P. Sullivan, Secretary of Health and Human Services was keynote speaker at the luncheon. Other participating organizations included: the national pharmacy alumni associations of Howard University, Xavier University, Florida A&M University, and Texas Southern University.
            Some of the largely attended programs at the MCM were from proposals submitted to ASHP MCM planning staff from the ABHP Educational Affairs Committee. At the 18th Annual Meeting of the ABHP, held December 4-6, 1995 in Las Vegas, NV, the ABHP organized a 3-hour CE program entitled Management and Socio-economic Implications of Common Drug Additions that was presented in the ASHP MCM educational programming. Some of the notable presenters in the program included:
       • Merritt A. Smith, MD, MPH, Medical Director of Community Substance Abuse Service, Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA, who spoke about The Management of Alcohol, Opiates, and Cocaine Abuse.
      • Darryl Inaba, PharmD, Director, Haight-Ashbury Free Clinics’ Drug Programs, San Francisco, CA; Associate Clinical Professor at UCSF, spoke about Current Trends in Drug Abuse.
      • H. Wesley Clark, MD, JD, MPH, Chief, Substance Use/Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Team, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, spoke about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and its Socioeconomic Implications.
       The 19th Annual Meeting of the ABHP at the ASHP MCM was held in New Orleans, LA December 8-12, 1996. Again, the ABHP was able to integrate a significant health topic into the ASHP educational offering at the MCM. Dr. Lenore Coleman, ABHP Educational Affairs Committee Chair, organized a 3-hour CE program on Women’s Health Issues: New Trends in Managing Osteoporosis, Menopause, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. The program created so much unanticipated interest that there was not enough seating for the attendees.
       The first of a series of region seminars was held on July 13, 1996 in Washington, DC. Registrants received 6 hours of continuing education credits about Asthma: A Serious Disease – An Excellent Opportunity to Provide Pharmaceutical Care. One of the key speakers at the conference was Dr. Kenneth Schell, who was one of the first African American pharmacists to succeed Wendell T. Hill when he became President of the California Society of Health-system Pharmacists (CSHP). Dr. Margaret Peoples, Chair of the Educational Affairs Committee, organized the event.
       At the 19th Annual Meeting of the ABHP was held at the ASHP MCM in New Orleans, LA, December 8-12, 1996. A Student Career Development Workshop was included in the programming. The student program was designed to increase the interest African American pharmacy students participation in the ABHP by provding a diverse group of speakers to discuss career options for the students to consider.
       The second regional symposium was held on February 2, 1997 in Miami, Florida. The theme of the meeting was Identifying and Addressing Unique Opportunities for Diabetes Care. The meeting was well supported by the local pharmacists and medical community. Some of the highly competent speakers who spoke on parallel topics included: James Gavin, MD; Ronald B. Goldberg, MD; Lenore Coleman, PharmD; Rachel Freeman, RD; Jay Skyler, MD; Doris Debs, RN; John Bowker, MD; Otis Kirksey, PharmD. The symposium received some media coverage in an article entitled "Association of Black Hospital Pharmacists (ABHP) Holds Seminar on the Treatment and Prevention of Diabetes" in the Miami Voice Newspaper.
       As ABHP continued to expand its reach to pharmacists and the community, the organization participated in the second National Pharmacy Summit, June 25-29, 1997, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Other participants in the Summit included the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA), Howard University, Texas Southern University, Florida A&M University, and Xavier University Pharmacy Alumni Associations.
       On September 24-26, 2004, ABHP held the first ABHP Annual Meeting & Minority Health Conference separate from the ASHP in Miami Beach, Florida. It was one of most inclusive and diverse meeting arranged by the ABHP. To increase diverse participation, the programming included collaborative minority health topics presented by local chapter leaders of the National Black Nursing Association, Haitian Medical Association and the Haitian Nurses Association, and the National Medical Association. Other invited guest speakers included the President-elect of the ASHP and the National Pharmaceutical Association. The meeting was cancelled after the first day of sessions due to a mandatory evacuation caused by hurricane Jeanne.
       On May 20-22, 2005, the 2nd ABHP Annual Meeting & Minority Health Conference was held in Coral Gables, Florida. The theme of the Conference was: Identifying and Addressing Unique Opportunities for Patient Care. Topics addressed included health care disparities, cultural competence and health literacy, many significant other topics.
       In 2006, a conference agreement was created between ABHP and ASHP to conduct a 3-hour CE program on Healthcare Issues in Minority Populations at the ASHP Midyear Meeting. The topic focused on diabetes in adolescents; identifying the social and economic factors associated with the increase prevalence of Type-2 diabetes. The program was presented at the 41st ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, December 6, 2006, in Anaheim, California. The program was planned by the ABHP Educational Affairs Committee with ASHP Advantage. Among the outstanding speakers were ABHP Director, Dr. Eva Vivian.
       In 2007, ABHP organized the first national, collaborative pharmacy conference on Minority Health. The Association of Black Health-system Pharmacists (ABHP) Annual Meeting & Minority Health Conference was organized in collaboration with ASHP Advantage, a business unit of the American Society of Health-system Pharmacists. The event was scheduled to take place September 21 – 23, 2007, but was cancelled and rescheduled for May 16-18, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a joint effort to focus on high priority needs in the health systems related to minority health. The goals of the meeting were:
          • To educate healthcare providers and students on the critical issues behind minority health
          • To increase recognition and awareness of critical minority health issues that affect the diverse
             populations of various communities
          • To serve as an important educational experience for healthcare providers, highlighting multicultural
             health concerns that affect both minority and non-minority populations.