Insight 2025: Vizient Cell, Gene and Specialty Symposium

Frisco, TX US
April 23, 2025 to April 24, 2025

The Vizient Cell, Gene & Specialty Symposium is an industry leading event that brings together thought leaders committed to the advancement of health-system pharmacy in the management, delivery, and optimization of advanced therapeutics, such as the ever-growing landscape of cell and gene therapies. You will hear clinical, operational, and business experts of leading providers, manufacturers, payers, and other stakeholders describe the opportunities and challenges of this field and what critical actions are required to preserve and expand access to these novel therapies. This symposium will also include updates on the latest in pipeline development, industry trends, numerous networking opportunities with thought leaders and experts of cell, gene and specialty therapies.

Target Audience

  • Pharmacists
  • Pharmacy Technicians

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, pharmacists should be able to:  

  • Evaluate the latest advancements in cell and gene therapies to enhance clinical decision-making and optimize patient outcomes by integrating emerging treatments into health-system pharmacy practice.
  • Analyze the financial, operational, and regulatory challenges associated with the delivery of advanced therapeutics, and develop strategies to navigate reimbursement models, supply chain logistics, and policy considerations.
  • Implement best practices in interdisciplinary collaboration by engaging with providers, manufacturers, and payers to improve patient access, streamline operational workflows, and ensure equitable distribution of cell and gene therapies.
  • Apply insights from industry trends and pipeline developments to anticipate future opportunities and challenges in specialty pharmacy, positioning health systems for success in the evolving landscape of advanced therapeutics.

 

At the conclusion of this activity, pharmacy technicians should be able to:  

  • Recognize and describe key concepts related to the use and handling of cell and gene therapy medications, supporting accurate preparation and patient safety.
  • Identify operational considerations and workflow impacts in the preparation, storage, and delivery of advanced therapeutics to maintain regulatory compliance and supply chain integrity.
  • Support interdisciplinary collaboration by effectively communicating with pharmacists, providers, manufacturers, and payers to enhance patient access and streamline pharmacy processes for advanced therapies.
  • Summarize current industry trends and emerging cell and gene therapies, emphasizing their impact on daily pharmacy technician responsibilities and the future delivery of specialty medications.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 8.50 ACPE Pharmacist
  • 8.50 ACPE Pharmacy Technician
  • 8.50 General CE - Attendance
Course opens: 
04/23/2025
Course expires: 
06/23/2025
Event starts: 
04/23/2025 - 8:00am CDT
Event ends: 
04/24/2025 - 11:20am CDT
Add to calendar: 

Horizontal Tabs

April 23rd
Day 1
Justin Cassidy, Rhea Ana Gamber, Setu Shah,
08:10am - 09:30am
Amanda Frick, Jenna Stern
09:30am - 10:45am
Yvonne Carroll, Bhavesh Shah
11:00am - 12:00pm
Kristin Helton, Grace Powers, Kelly Terrell
12:45pm - 01:45pm
John McLean, Stephanie Spence, Jeff Wagner
03:15pm - 04:15pm
April 24th
Day 2
Melissa Chase, Shabnam Gaskari, Megan Mullaley, Michael O’Neal
08:00am - 09:00am
Lubna Mazin, Rich Toner, Carl Uraski
09:00am - 10:00am
Eric Andrews, Jenny Craven, Robert Richards, Matt Ridge
10:20am - 11:20am
Omni Frisco at the Star
11 Cowboys Way
Frisco, TX 75034
United States

FACULTY & PLANNERS

Faculty
Genevieve Hayes, PharmD, MS, BCPS     
Senior Clinical Manager                 
Vizient, Inc.

 

Steven Lucio     
Sr Principal, Pharmacy Solutions                   
Vizient, Inc.

Justin Cassidy      
Associate Principal, Intelligence                   
Sg2

Rhea Ana Gamber    
Associate Principal, Intelligence                      
Sg2

Setu Shah    
Sr Consultant, Intelligence                   
Sg2

Amanda Frick  
Pharmacy Executive III                   
Vizient, Inc.

Jenna Stern
AVP, Regulatory Affairs & Public Policy                    
Vizient, Inc.

Yvonne Carroll, JD, RN 
​​Director, Programs, Department of Hematology​                    
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Bhavesh Shah, RPh BCOP​
VP of Pharmacy                   
Boston Medical Center

Kristin Helton, PharmD, MBA
​​Pharmacy Manager ​                    
Barnes Jewish Hospital

Grace Powers, MSN, RN 
​​Senior Program Manager, Gene Therapy​                    
Barnes Jewish Hospital

Kelly Terrell, MBA, BSN, RN, BMTCN
​​Senior Clinical Program Manager, Hematologic malignancies, transplant and cellular therapy program                
Barnes Jewish Hospital

John McLean, MBA, MS
​​AVP Managed Care and Payor Relations​                    
Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation

Jeff Wagner, PharmD, MPH, BCPS 
Vice President, Pharmacy Operations, Specialty Pharmacy, and Respiratory Therapy Care & ECMO​                    
Texas Children's Hospital 

Stephanie Spence, PharmD, CSP 
Director, Specialty Pharmacy                   
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield 

Melissa Chase, Pharm.D., BCSCP, CPEL  
​​Director of Pharmacy​                    
Valley Children’s Healthcare

Shabnam Gaskari, PharmD, BCPS
Executive Director and Chief Pharmacy Office                   
Stanford Children’s Health

Megan Mullaley, BCOP,BCPS,PharmD 
​​Oncology Pharmacy Project Manager​                    
Intermountain Health 

Michael O’Neal, PharmD, MBA
Director, Pharmacy Supply Chain                   
Vanderbilt Health

Lubna Mazin, PharmD, MS
​​Pharmacy Revenue Cycle Manager​                    
Children’s Hospital Colorado

Rich Toner, MS 
​​Div Chair reimbursement and pricing​                   
Mayo Clinic 

Carl Uraski 
​​Vice President Finance​                    
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Eric Andrews, MBA, CPhT
​​Pharmacy Strategic Sourcing Manager​                    
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 

Jenny Craven, Pharm.D., BCPS​  
​​Senior Emerging Therapies Pharmacist​                    
UC Davis Health

Robert Richards, MSBI, MBA
Corporate Director, Cell Therapy and Transplant                 
Penn Medicine 

Matt Ridge, MHS
​​Manager, Pharmacy Business Operations​                    
Cook Children’s

 
Planners
Genevieve Hayes, PharmD, MS, BCPS     
Senior Clinical Manager                 
Vizient, Inc.
 
Allison Bystriansky     
Director, Spend Management Strategy Implementation                   
Vizient, Inc.
 
 
Kim Bentley, CHCP   
CE Programs Manager              
Vizient, Inc.
 
Marilu Kelly, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CHCP
Director, Continuing Education       
Vizient, Inc.
 

DISCLOSURE

As an accredited provider of continuing education, Vizient, Inc. is dedicated to ensuring this activity presents learners with only accurate, balanced, scientifically justified recommendations, and is free from promotion, marketing, and commercial bias. In accordance with The Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, all planners, faculty, and others in control of the educational content have disclosed the absence or existence of all financial relationships (of any dollar amount) with ineligible companies within the past 24 months.
 
Ineligible companies – those companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
 
It is Vizient’s policy that owners and employees of ineligible companies, and any individuals who refuse to disclose the absence or existence of financial relationships with any ineligible companies are disqualified from participating as planners or faculty.
 
Disclosure Statements
 
 
Relevant Financial Relationships 
Vizient, Inc., Jointly Accredited for Interprofessional Continuing Education, defines companies to be ineligible as those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
An individual is considered to have a relevant financial relationship if the educational content an individual can control is related to the business lines or products of the ineligible company.

Jenny Craven, PharmD, BCPS, speaker for this educational activity, is on the advisory board for Sarepta Therapeutics and CSL Behring; Committee membership providing feedback on formulary-related content for Cencora/Xcenda (FormularyDecisions).

Jeff Wagner, PharmD, MPH, BCPS, speaker for this educational activity, is on an Autonomous Pharmacy Advisory Board for Omnicell.

Lubna Mazin, PharmD, MS speaker for this educational activity, is a consultant for The Dedham Group.

Robert Richards, MSBI, MBA, speaker for this educational activity, is an advisory board member, consultant, and speaker for Novartis and Janssen; an advisory board member and consultant for BMS/Celgene and Vineti; an advisory board member for Kite Pharma, Legend Biotech, and Cardinal; a consultant for Iovance, Autolus, AdaptImmune, Allovir, Caribou, Pierre Fabre, McKesson, and Trakcel; a consultant and CGT Council member for McKesson; and an advisory board member and speaker for DK Pierce.

 
All relevant financial relationships listed for these individual(s) have been mitigated.
All others in a position to control content for this educational activity have no relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
 
Statement of Content Validity
 
Vizient, Inc. educational activities are intended to assist healthcare teams advance their professional responsibilities in accordance with the definition of continuing education. It is the policy of Vizient, Inc. to review and ensure that all content and recommendations for patient care within accredited CE is evidenced-based, based on current science and clinical reasoning while ensuring the content is fair and balanced. All recommendations must conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Vizient, Inc. does not permit accredited continuing education if it advocates for unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or if the education promotes recommendations, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that are determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients.
 
FDA Off-Label Use
 
Faculty presenters are also expected to disclose any discussion of (1) off-label or investigational uses of FDA approved commercial products or devices or (2) products or devices not yet approved in the United States.
 
Usage Disclosure: “Off-label/unapproved drug uses or products are mentioned within this activity.”
 
Evidence-based Content: “Low/absence of evidence-based topics are mentioned within this activity.”
 
Disclaimer
The education provided through this activity is for continuing education purposes only. The views and opinions expressed in this activity are those of the faculty/presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views of Vizient, Inc.

 

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, Vizient, Inc. is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

 

 
Designation Statement(s)
 
 
Pharmacists (CPE)
 
Vizient, Inc. designates this live activity for a maximum of 8.50 contact hours for pharmacists.
 
Universal Activity Number: JA0006103-0000-25-043-L01-P
 
Pharmacy Technicians (CPE)
 
Vizient, Inc. designates this live activity for a maximum of 8.50 contact hours for pharmacy technicians.
 
Universal Activity Number: JA0006103-0000-25-043-L01-T
 
 
 
Other Healthcare Professionals (General CE Credit)
 
Vizient, Inc. will award all other healthcare professionals who successfully complete the activity a Certificate of Participation. Various state license boards and credentialing bodies accept certificates of participation from accredited CE activities to meet CE requirements for license renewals and re-certification. It is the responsibility of the participant to contact their state licensing board and/or certifying body for verification on credit eligibility reciprocity.

Available Credit

  • 8.50 ACPE Pharmacist
  • 8.50 ACPE Pharmacy Technician
  • 8.50 General CE - Attendance
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Required Hardware/software

 

The Vizient CE Learner Portal is compatible with most modern web browsers (such as Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari) and can also be accessed with mobile devices.