This past October, the 13th annual JADPRO Live conference welcomed over 1,600 attendees at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The theme of this year's conference was “United in Care,” emphasizing a collaborative approach that includes the multidisciplinary care team, patients, and their caregivers in moving cancer care forward.
EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS
With over 30 CE credits/hours available to earn for NPs, PAs, and pharmacists, there were a variety of solid tumor, hematologic malignancy, as well as surgical and radiation oncology talks to attend.
On Thursday, there were hands-on procedure workshops, a collaboration with the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) series of programs, Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy, and a seminar on psycho-oncology.
On Friday, October 24, Rose DiMarco, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and the 2025 JADPRO Live Conference Chair, kicked off the conference by welcoming attendees from around the country in the main ballroom.
The opening panel, “The Power of a Unified Voice: Optimizing the AP Role Through Society Collaborations,” set the tone by emphasizing the strength of collaboration. The discussion brought together leaders from the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), Association of Physician Assistants in Oncology (APAO), Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA), Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), and, of course, Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO).
On Friday afternoon, the keynote address “Clinician and Kin: United in Care with the Family Caregiver,” by Jennifer A. O'Brien, a health-care leader, author, and caregiving advocate, offered a personal story of the family caregiver's essential role.
Several radiation and surgical oncology sessions took place in this combined specialty track on Friday and Saturday, including sessions on managing radiation side effects, oropharyngeal cancer, and colorectal liver metastases.
Highly attended sessions included “Interpreting Post-Therapeutic Diagnostic Studies,” on interpreting radiology report terminology and imaging patterns, “Mitigating Risk, Maximizing Care in Oncology Practice,” on practical strategies to mitigate risk and liability in clinical practice while maintaining compassionate care, and “Bridging Worlds: Integrating Herbal Knowledge with Conventional Cancer Care,” which used case examples to illustrate herbal use in patients with cancer.
NETWORKING
Although educational sessions filled the schedule, there were also opportunities to book meetings with other attendees and learn how others practice and navigate challenges through Braindate. Over 200 attendees participated.
Attendees were also invited to join a peer roundtable session. Topics included biomarker testing in solid tumors, managing immunotherapy-related adverse events, and advocating for yourself in practice.
POSTERS AND EXHIBIT HALL
As usual, the exhibit hall was bustling with activity. During moderated poster sessions, attendees could talk to presenters of a total of 129 posters in three tracks: clinical, industry encore, and patient advocacy posters.
In addition to posters, exhibit hall presentations featured experts on new therapeutics. Attendees could take complimentary professional headshots and visit the Pup Park where therapy dogs visited throughout the day.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
On Saturday, APSHO President Lisa Kottschade, APRN, MSN, CNP, announced the 2025 class of Fellows of Advanced Practice in Oncology (FAPO): Christa Braun-Inglis, DNP, MS, APRN, FNP-BC, AOCNP, FAPO, and Laura J. Zitella, MS, RN, ACNP-BC, AOCN, FAPO. This distinguished, lifetime designation for APSHO members recognizes APs who consistently work to advance the field of oncology and hematology.
The recipient of the eighth annual Mary Pazdur Award for Excellence in Advanced Practice is Donald C. Moore, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, DPLA, FCCP, FASHP. Dr. Moore is a clinical pharmacist and manager at Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Outstanding Poster Award went to the team led by Karolyn R. Holody, MSN, CRNP, OCN, of University of Pennsylvania Health System for JL1333C: Infusion-Based Advanced Practice Provider Covering Unexpected Infusion and Symptomatic Needs of Oncology Patients Results in Decreased Clinic Interruptions and Higher Quality Patient Care and Teamwork.
Take a look at the JADPRO Article of the Year, “A Financial Toxicity Screening and Care Coordination Quality Improvement Program in a Gynecology Oncology Urban Practice” by Tina Harris, DNP, NP-C, AOCNP, and colleagues in the Jan/Feb 2024 issue.
We hope to see you at the next JADPRO Live, taking place from October 15 through 18, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
IN THIS ISSUE
Within this issue, read about a quality improvement project that improved the appropriate prescribing rate of olanzapine for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Advanced practice providers (APPs) play a key role in detecting and managing adverse events in clinical practice, and this issue's integrative review examines their role in early-phase oncology clinical trials. Learn about optimizing the dosing of regorafenib in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, and gain insights on the long-term safety of lorlatinib for ALK-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer through an illustrative case study.
The development of a blood factor product formulary helped maximize patient outcomes and minimize adverse events at a large health system, as described in a Practice Matters article. In another cancer center, a formal career pathway program provided a structured pathway for the promotion and continuous career development of APPs.
Finally, read the first-hand accounts of clinical pharmacists as they describe their role in patient education and medication management, and explore ways for radiation oncology APPs to get involved in research.