Oncology Pharmacists Play a Vital Role in Patient Care and Research

The most fortunate patients will have a board certified oncology pharmacist (BCOP) on their care team to help them through their cancer journey—this is one of the hallmarks of a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center like Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the only such designated center in the state.
 
Executive Director of Oncology Pharmacy Services at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Michael P. Kane, RPh, BCOP and his team of Board Certified Oncology (BCOP) Pharmacists and certified pharmacy technicians  are working with patients and researchers at all phases of the patient’s cancer treatment.
 
The unique BCOP certification held by the pharmacists is an indication of an enhanced level of knowledge beyond traditional pharmacy practice. Of the BCOP pharmacists in the state, 12 percent practice at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health. Pharmacy Technicians in the Research Pharmacy also hold a special certification (CPST) from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board that allows them to properly handle hazardous drugs like chemotherapy.

With specialized knowledge about medications and how they work to fight cancer, the team educates patients on what drugs are being used, how they work, how they are safely administered, and provides patients with pain management and additional supportive care. Behind the scenes, the team might be coordinating a patient’s chemotherapy dose, safely handling and storing investigational agents being used in clinical trials, or supporting research with investigational agents in human subjects. The expertise exhibited by the Research Pharmacy team allows them to work together with patients and other members of their cancer care team to achieve the best possible outcome.