In early March, the Division of Pharmacy Professional Development held the 2014 Madison Clinical Conference: The Pharmacist’s Role in Management of Infectious Diseases. The conference helped enhance the clinical knowledge and skills of attendees so they could more effectively educate patients and caregivers as well as work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals to manage/monitor patients with infectious diseases.

As a result of participating in this conference, attendees were better able to:

• describe and understand the pathophysiology, morbidity/mortality of selected infectious diseases;
• identify and outline the pharmacologic management of selected infectious diseases; and
• identify strategies to facilitate pharmacist-patient interactions/communication to assist patients in their management of select infectious diseases.

The conference was well attended and well received. There were many new faces, with 25 percent of the total attendance represented by first time attendees. Evaluation responses confirmed the success of the conference, and attendees commented that topics and speakers were chosen well. Many people left feeling empowered to discuss what they learned and eager to implement the ideas presented.

The Division of Pharmacy Professional Development will build on the success of the March conference at the 2014 R&D Land O’Lakes 56th Annual Pharmaceutical Research and Development Conference: “Particle Engineering in API and Drug Product Design.” The conference will be held June 9 – 12 at the Fluno Center located on the UW-Madison campus. This three-day event will provide an educational forum for attendees to discuss issues in the manufacture of engineered particles and applications to formulation design and development. Other conference topics include:

• advances in drug delivery systems requiring API characteristics that can be achieved through particle engineering;
• fundamentals of particle engineering;
• analytical and physical characterization techniques;
• technologies to produce engineered particles; and
• regulatory and IP issues regarding particle engineering.

Additional information, including an optional short course as well as lodging and registration specifics, can be found online on the course information page.

The Division of Pharmacy Professional Development (formerly Extension Services in Pharmacy) works closely with pharmacists and scientists within the pharmaceutical industry to develop programs that provide outreach opportunities for pharmacists to assist them with their professional continuing education needs, and provide training and post-graduate education for research and production personnel within the pharmaceutical industry.