Pharmacogenomic testing is becoming more widely available to Canadians through a variety of sources including certain physician practices and community pharmacies. This webinar will give health care providers a basic overview on pharmacogenomic testing and how it can be used as a tool to support medication decision making for chronic pain management. If you’re a health care provider who has patients with persistent, chronic or complex pain, who have had challenges with their medication therapy, pharmacogenomic testing could be a useful tool to assist these patients in finding medications that will work for them with less side effects. This webinar will help equip you to answer some of the basic questions patients might have about testing and assist you in directing them where they can find more information about testing in BC.
What you’ll learn:
- Overview of the principles of pharmacogenomic testing
- Discuss how pharmacogenomic testing can benefit patients with chronic pain
- Explore some frequently asked questions about pharmacogenomic testing
- Learn how and where patients can go for testing
Disclaimer: this webinar will not go into genetic testing as it relates to disease or diagnosis, or ancestry.
About the presenters
Derek Desrosiers is one of Canada’s foremost authorities on the economic and professional practice issues of pharmacy. He is a licensed pharmacist and is currently the Director, Pharmacy Practice Support at the BC Pharmacy Association (BCPhA). Derek received his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of British Columbia in 1982. Before entering management positions he had 13 years of experience as a patient care community pharmacist in a variety of pharmacies. Derek has held a variety of positions in pharmacy including CEO of Unipharm, pharmacy owner, pharmacy manager and has volunteered on numerous committees including being a board director for the BC Pharmacy Association, Canadian Pharmacy Association, Canadian Association for Pharmacy Distribution Management, and the Canadian Foundation or Pharmacy
Bryce Wong is the General Manager of RxOme Pharmacogenomics Canada Inc., a joint venture between the BC Pharmacy Association and myDNA Life. RxOme aims to enable community pharmacies across Canada to offer pharmacogenomic testing to their patients to enhance the provision of medication management. Prior to this position, Wong was the Senior Manager of Pharmacy Practice Support at the BC Pharmacy Association advocating for the expanded role of pharmacists, developing training programs and assisting pharmacist members on issues such as clinical services, regulatory compliance and payer issues. He also has held positions as a staff pharmacist and pharmacy manager. Wong received his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of British Columbia in 2006.