A Note From Cate: Fall 2021 Reflections

A quarterly note from BBCIC Executive Director Cate Lockhart, MS, PharmD, PhD.

November 2021

Dear BBCIC Participants and Supporters,

Fall always becomes a time for contemplation for me. The leaves start changing and the world around begins to prepare for winter. It’s a time to reflect on how far we have come over the year, from the growth of spring to the busy intensity of summer, to the sigh of fall. While the great work of BBCIC doesn’t ebb or flow with the seasons (it’s pretty intense all the time!), there is still a sense of seasonality as fall scientific and professional meetings occur, and submission deadlines in anticipation for spring meetings march ever closer.

BBCIC was involved in three posters that were presented at AMCP Nexus 2021 in Denver from Oct. 19-22, and one abstract — describing the results of the BBCIC trastuzumab utilization analysis. This abstract received a PLATINUM RIBBON!!! That abstract was also one of only five poster abstracts selected for presentation on the podium as well! CONGRATULATIONS to all on this honor and much deserved recognition of our hard work and strong science!

We also held our annual Live(Virtually)@NEXUS meeting with 11 people attending in person, and 29 via Zoom. It was an engaging discussion, as always when we get together, and we are looking forward to taking some of these new ideas into 2022!

Here is a brief summary of the meeting:

  • Todd Sega and colleagues from the Pharmacy Quality Solutions (PQS) demonstrated their Cancer Symptom Tracker — a mobile phone app for patients with cancer and their caregivers to record, track, and share symptoms they experience day-to-day. We look forward to exploring future collaboration with PQS to identify ways to incorporate patient-reported outcomes into our research to enrich the data in our network.

  • Jeff Brown from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute (HPHCI) provided updates on the Sentinel System and highlighted some of the efforts underway to expand the Common Data Model and enhance data capabilities. As BBCIC leverages the infrastructure developed by FDA’s Sentinel System, we look forward to identifying areas to continue advancing data science.

  • Pam Pawloski from HealthPartners Institute, and the co-PI for our G-CSF comparative safety and effectiveness study provided an update on the project, described lessons learned to date, and next steps toward completing this ambitious study. We are preparing a manuscript to describe our obstacles and solutions for reliably identifying cohorts and chemotherapy regimens in claims.

  • BBCIC participants were asked to provide their input in our annual survey to gather feedback on their experience with BBCIC. Of 21 respondents, the overwhelming majority indicated satisfaction with their participation in BBCIC and they find value in BBCIC as an organization. We received some excellent ideas for continued improvement as we work hard to advance our mission.

  • Aaron Mendelsohn and Jenice Ko from HPHCI provided updates on our current research projects, including the bevacizumab utilization analysis and switching descriptive analysis in preparation. We also discussed some future plans for upcoming projects and spent some time reviewing the BBCIC Strategic Plan to keep the organization moving along the positive path we are on.

Thank you all for your participation!! As always, I have to say CONGRATULATIONS to all of BBCIC for your ongoing support, enthusiasm, and perseverance to continue to produce high-quality, important research. And I have to say THANK YOU for all those same reasons. We are tiny but mighty!

It takes a village to raise a consortium, and we are grateful for your continued support and engagement!

Kind Regards,
Cate Lockhart, MS, PharmD, PhD