NACDS co-hosted its inaugural Test2Learn™ Community-Based Pharmacogenomics Certificate Program with the University of Pittsburgh this week. NACDS and the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy adapted Test2Learn ™ from an innovative University platform that enables students to learn by using real genetic data in highly-interactive exercises.
There is currently a culture shift towards personalizing medicine, and we’re working in parallel with that shift by offering community pharmacy an education program to advance patient outcomes.
The certificate program includes online home study and in-person live components, including an optional activity for learners to undergo personal genomic testing. Participants engaged in the in-person aspect of the program, and also learned how to administer the training to others.
Pharmacogenomics is a relatively new field that combines pharmacology and genomics to ensure that medications are used in a safe and effective manner based on a person’s genetic makeup. The Test2Learn ™ program is designed to ensure that pharmacists have the skills at the ground level to ensure that the right patient is getting the right medicine, but also at the right dose based on the patient’s genetic makeup.
While pharmacogenomics is not mainstream yet, NACDS Director of Pharmacy Affairs Jason Ausili, Pharm.D., said, “There is currently a culture shift towards personalizing medicine, and we’re working in parallel with that shift by offering community pharmacy an education program to advance patient outcomes.
Test2Learn™ teaches the principles of pharmacogenomics as well as its practical implications in disease states such as cardiology, oncology, neurology and infectious diseases, among others. It trains pharmacists to decipher genetic tests, translate that information, and make appropriate recommendations for the patient, including clinical decision making, interpretation of patient results, and counseling and collaboration with prescribers to help optimize patient medication regimens.
Based on the success of the inaugural program, additional tour dates and locations will be announced later this fall.
