U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
Pharmacist Professional Advisory Committee
Department of Health and Human Services


Minutes of Meeting
July 11, 2002

Members Connected by Phone:

CAPT Frank J. Nice (Chair)	CAPT William A. Hess (ex-officio)
LT Elizabeth Yuan (Vice-Chair)	LT Krista M. Scardina (Secretary)
CAPT Harvey Greenberg (alt/Davis)	CAPT Kathleen Downs
CAPT David K. Ellison	LCDR Cindy P. Dougherty
CDR Doug Herold	LCDR Michael Long
LT Mark N. Strong	CDR Michael S. Forman
LTJG Kristen Maves	CAPT Cathy L. Shaffer
LCDR Paul Huntzinger	LT Postelle Birch
CAPT Martin Johnston	Dr. Vaiyapuri Subramaniam
Dr. Frank Pucino, Jr.	CDR Richard Lawson (alt/Imholte)

Members Absent:

LCDR Gregory Davis	LCDR Mark Feltner
CAPT Jim Imholte

Guests:

CAPT Robert Pittman	LCDR Laura Pincock
CDR Raelene Skerda

PharmPAC Chair Report: CAPT Frank J. Nice (fn1n@nih.gov (301-496-1561))

The May minutes were approved with minor corrections and will be posted on the PharmPAC website at www.hhs.gov/pharmacy/ .

• CPO/PAC Chair Meetings (23-MAY-2002 and 27-JUN-2002):
  
• CAPT John Steward was named the senior advisor to the Junior Officer Advisory Group (JOAG).
  
• The Surgeon General nominee, Dr. Richard H. Carmona, had his congressional hearing on 08-JUL-2002. Results of the hearing have not yet been released.
  
• Discussion on the U.S. Freedom Corps is on the Bush Administration agenda. It will comprise a medical reserve corps with civilian volunteers. Details are still in draft.
  
• PAC Awards: The PAC Chairs are eligible for citations. PAC Members are eligible for the Surgeon General Certificate of Appreciation. PAC Chairs and Members are eligible for the Special Assignment Award; however, the Letter of Appointment to the PAC must be attached.
  
• RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu stated that the transformation of the Corps, also known as the “Commissioned Corps of the USPHS Into the 21st Century,” is progressing.
  
• The criteria for the Recruitment Award are being revised to reflect outcomes instead of time and effort.
  
• The acting-SG and CPOs met with ASH Eve Slater; her priorities include readiness, transformation, and the infrastructure of the Corps, including mobility of Officers being Corps-driven rather than individual-driven.
  
• A Surgeon General's Report on Osteoporosis will be issued in 2004.
  
• There will be a Federal Credentialing Forum at the HHS Building on July 24th and 25th. Category representation is expected.
  
• CCRF membership will soon be a critical component of being an Officer in the Commissioned Corps.
  
• The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) Awards deadline has been extended to 15-JUL-2002.
  
• The SG PAC Advisory Committee has forwarded a recommendation to the Surgeon General to suspend the sixth precept (Agency Rating) for promotions.
  
• Electronic pay system will be available January 2004.
  
• The Career Development Committee has been asked to develop a draft policy report on career development issues that will be similar to the Recruitment Action Plan that was drafted by the Recruitment Committee. The draft report will be presented at the September PharmPAC meeting.
  
• CAPT Nice has retired as of 01-JUL-2002 and will no longer be the Chair of the PharmPAC.
  Awards Committee
  Chair:        CAPT Cathy L. Shaffer (cathyshaffer@mail.ihs.gov (918)-287-4491)
  
  • The Committee has been working on revising the award process and calls for nominations. Any officer interested in helping on this Committee should contact LT Elizabeth Yuan (eyuan@osophs.dhhs.gov). You do not need to be a member of the PharmPAC.
    
  • The following is a list of proposed changes:
    
  Student Awards Issues
  There needs to be additional help to process the student awards. The mail out to all pharmacy schools is planed for early September 2002. The deadline to receive nominations is suggested to be April 15th to accommodate more schools' award ceremonies. The Committee would select students to make the award more prestigious. If time allows, a pre screen of nominations would be performed and returned to the schools with suggestions. The award could also be used as a recruitment tool by working with the Recruitment Committee to have an officer in a geographical location that can present the award in uniform. Only mail in packets will be accepted in order to prevent duplication with faxes. There will be one contact source, the Award Committee Chair, for all correspondence.
  Unit Commendation for Recruitment Efforts
  The call for nominations has been rewritten to emphasize that one must meet 3 of the 5 criteria to qualify for the award and document that activity was completed in calendar year 2002. The deadline is 15-JAN-2003. The Award Committee Chair will be the contact for all correspondence. A chart was developed and included in the nomination package to aid in documentation of activities. It is suggested to distribute the information in September via the listserv and website, with monthly listserv reminders.
  
  PharmPAC Awards
  
  1. Allen J. Brands PHS Clinical Pharmacist of the Year Award
     
  2. Pharmacist of the Year Award (Non-Clinical)
     
  3. George F. Archambault PHS Career Achievement Award in Pharmacy
     
  The call for nominations has changed in order to clarify the need to address al the criteria in the write up and to demonstrate that the activities in the write up occurred in the 12-18 months prior to the 31-DEC-2002 deadline. It is suggested to distribute the information in September via the listserv and website, with monthly listserv reminders. The Award Committee Chair will be the contact for all correspondence.
  U. S. Public Health Service Award For Managerial Excellence Improving Pharmacy Service for Public Health
  The call for nominations has been changed to clarify the need to address all the criteria in the write-up and to clearly demonstrate that the activities in the write-up occurred in the 12-18 months prior to the 31-DEC-2002 deadline. It is suggested to distribute the information in September via the listserv and website, with monthly listserv reminders. The Award Committee Chair will be the contact for all correspondence.
  CCRF Committee
  Acting Chair: LT Mark Strong (mstrong@wsp.portland.ihs.gov (541-553-2134)
  
  • The Office of Emergency Preparedness / Commissioned Corps Readiness Force has a new team member, LCDR Renee Joskow DDS, MPH. She is the new coordinator for Training and Education.
    
  • Please refer to http://oep.osophs.dhhs.gov/ccrf/whatis.htm#MEMBERSHIP for a listing of the new membership requirements.
    
  • Trainings:
    
  • Emergency Coordinator Augmentee (EC-A)
    

  Course Dates	Application Deadlines
  August 12-16, 2002	June 6, 2002 - 49 students scheduled

• Liaison Officer (LNO) Training
  

  Course Dates	Application Deadlines
  August 12-16, 2002	June 6, 2002

• National Pharmaceutical Stockpile (NPS/Basic)
  

  Course Dates	Application Deadlines
  August 5-9, 2002	May 30, 2002 – 50 students scheduled
  September 9-13, 2002	July 3, 2002 – 50 students scheduled

• Visit the CCRF website at http://oep.osophs.dhhs.gov/ccrf for more information on training opportunities and current class rosters.
  

  ·	112-hour Currency and TDY opportunities have been updated and are listed at http://oep.osophs.dhhs.gov/ccrf/newpage3.htm.

• Mass immunization courses are being given by the CDC. Information is available on their website at http://www.cdc.gov/ .
  
• Only 26% of pharmacists are CCRF ready. All pharmacists are encouraged to join the CCRF and become more involved in the trainings that are offered.
  

Communications Committee
Chair: CDR Paul Huntzinger (phuntzinger@d11.uscg.mil (510)-437-3602

• The Committee has continued to send messages on the PHS-Rx-Student Listserv regarding "reasons to join the PHS." Please contact CDR Huntzinger with ideas for additional information that could be sent to students via this listserv.
  
• Scaled-down PLANT profiles have been instituted in the form of "career snapshots" that are sent out to students enrolled on the PHS-Rx-Student listserv. Please contact CDR Kassandra Sherrod (sherrodk@cder.fda.gov) , CAPT Lillie Golson (golsonl@cder.fda.gov) , or CDR Huntzinger with new ideas for career snapshots.
  

Professional Relations Committee
Chair: Dr. Puri Subramaniam (subramaniamp@cder.fda.gov (301)-827-7303)

Pharmaceutical Care Subcommittee
Chair: Dr. Frank Pucino, Jr. (fpucino@nih.gov (301-402-4295)
The primary initiative of the Subcommittee is to determine the availability of pharmacy clerkship rotations for USPHS agencies (FDA, IHS, BOP, Coast Guard, NIH, etc.). This list will be posted on the listserv, the USPHS website, and the web pages of various professional societies (e.g., ASHP, APHA, ACCP) and colleges of pharmacy. Currently, approximately 107 preceptors (affiliated with ~ 73 colleges of pharmacy) from IHS, 68 preceptors from BOP, 18 preceptors (affiliated with ~24 colleges of pharmacy) at the FDA, 10 preceptors (affiliated with ~20 colleges of pharmacy) at the NIH, and 5 preceptors (affiliated with ~6 colleges of pharmacy) from USCG have been identified. Although rotations will list contact information of preceptors, all rotations will be arranged through the Clerkship Coordinators from respective universities of interested students. The Subcommittee is still seeking personnel from other government agencies in assisting with generating similar lists.

Old Business

• The USPHS has given their support to the Boy Scout Jamboree since the 1950's. CAPT Nice was the previous Chief Pharmacist for the event; however, he will no longer serve in this capacity. RADM Richard Walling, CPO, would like to continue efforts with the Boy Scouts and would like the PharmPAC to develop a plan of action to support the event. If not done already, PharmPAC members must provide CAPT Nice (fn1n@nih.gov) with ideas to continue our support and services to the Boy Scout Jamboree by Friday, 26-JUL-2002. Please forward any questions about the specifics of the event to CAPT Nice.
  

New Business

• COSTEP involvement in the PharmPAC would be a great recruitment tool and would benefit the PharmPAC . Jr. COSTEPS are only here a few months, but could help with small projects. Sr. COSTEPS and/or residents are active duty officers and could serve on Committees and be instrumental in policy and other activities. Pharmacists in charge of the COSTEPS are asked to encourage the officers to become involved in the PharmPAC in order to learn about processes and the workings of the Corps. All Committee Chairs and members of Committees have been asked to evaluate the duties and responsibilities of their Committee to see if COSTEPS could become involved in the workings of the Committee. The PharmPAC will then evaluate how their involvement could be initiated.
  
• The PharmPAC is issuing a call for nominations for APhA Awards. Nominations may first be sent through the PharmPAC for initial review. The deadline for nominations to APhA is 15-AUG-2002. Please contact Liz Keyes at APhA (202-628-4410) if you need a copy of the APhA Awards Application and Guidebook. The awards ceremony takes place at the annual meeting in March 2003. USPHS pharmacists are strongly encouraged to apply. You may access criteria for the awards via the APhA website (http://www.aphanet.org/)
  

Meeting Adjournment:
The PharmPAC meeting was adjourned at 1400H, EDT

Next Meeting Date: 05-SEPT-2002

An Agenda and Call-In Information will follow




Respectfully Submitted,


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LT Krista M. Scardina, Executive Secretary

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CAPT Frank J. Nice, Chairman

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RADM Richard Walling, CPO

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