Underprescribing of oral anticoagulant therapy in frail, elderly patients: A look into depression, cognitive impairment, and fall risk

Attending the 2017 ASHP Midyear was a valuable experience for me as a student pharmacist. Overall, I believe the group’s work was very well-received by pharmacy professionals around the country. Pharmacists came up to ask inquisitive and thoughtful questions regarding anticoagulation use in the frail, elderly patient. Overall, professionals seemed genuinely interested about our project, and offered their insights on how anticoagulation is currently being used in their respective practice site. At the student poster session, there was a wide variety of projects that student pharmacists have completed around the country. One poster included a 4 year public health project regarding epinephrine use after Maryland made it mandatory for each school to carry epinephrine for allergies. Another project looked at a novel drug compound and its use in vitro for pancreatic cancer treatment. This conference allowed me to see the latest drugs that have been FDA approved, many of which I have not heard of in the classroom. The energy that everyone brought was invigorating, and made me excited about the profession of pharmacy. It was an honor to see how classroom knowledge can translate into clinical practice. By attending the 2017 ASHP Midyear, I have definitely solidified that I want to pursue a post-graduate fellowship. I truly appreciate the URF office for financially assisting me, so that I could experience the largest pharmacy conference.

Conference Travel Fund Blog Post by Margaret Chuang
Candidate for Doctor of Pharmacy ’19