COP in Focus: Transplant Pharmacy Community of Practice 

The AST’s Communities of Practice (COPs) are specialty groups within the Society. These groups focus on exchanging knowledge, offering networking opportunities, advocating for issues relevant to each of their specialties, and developing resources to meet the needs of their members. There are currently 16 COPs, and approximately two-thirds of AST members are members of at least one COP. These communities serve as valuable platforms for our members to collaborate, share insights, and contribute to advancements in transplantation.

This blog post features the Transplant Pharmacy COP to showcase their accomplishments, initiatives, and contributions.  

Not a member of a COP? Manage your COP memberships here.  

 --------------------  

The Transplant Pharmacy Community of Practice (TxPharm COP) comprises over 600 members and has played a pivotal role in advancing the field of transplantation since its inception in 2009.   

The TxPharm COP provides a forum for transplant pharmacists and other professionals to network, exchange thoughts, share resources, collaborate on best practice solutions, develop research ideas, and participate in educational activities.  

In recent years, COP involvement has grown immensely, with 10 different workgroups for members to participate in and contribute to. This includes the recent addition of a research and innovation workgroup, which focuses on guidance and mentorship to trainees and new practitioners, as well as a new diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) initiative.  

The TxPharm COP has made significant contributions to the American Society of Transplantation through the efforts of its members and workgroups. Recent notable accomplishments include expanding medication access for patients by facilitating the expansion of over 50 medically accepted off-label indications in Micromedex®, a CMS approved compendia often used for insurance prior authorizations and appeals.  

The TxPharm COP hosted the recent AST Controversies Conference, focusing on Evaluation of Medication Adherence Assessment in Solid Organ Transplantation. The COP continues to develop educational offerings and resources for the field of pharmacy, including programming at national conferences, an established reference collection, an annual organ donation awareness challenge, and several medication access resources. As well, the TxPharm COP has an active presence on social media and uses the COP Hub to engage its members and the transplant pharmacy workforce at large.  

Interested in joining? Manage your COP memberships here.  If you have questions on how to get more involved in the TxPharm COP, contact Mary Moss Chandran (mary.chandran@unchealth.unc.edu) or Matt Harris (matt.harris@duke.edu)!