Pharmacist Research Specialist

The Pharmacist, Research Specialist supports patient care by understanding the clinical trial research protocol, providing clinical trial education to the pharmacy staff, coordinating study drug inventory/supplies, and assisting sites with any operational and regulatory concerns related to the clinical trial.

This position will rotate amongst some of the regional campuses.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Practice as a Pharmacist in accordance with all federal, state, DFCI, DF/HCC, and Joint Commission policies, regulations, and standards and serves as the primary pharmacist on the delegation logs and maintains their NCI, CITI, and GCP trainings.
• Oversee the implementation of new inpatient trials at BWH from a pharmacy perspective and follow the progress of clinical research protocols along with the study team for safety, efficacy, appropriateness of drug and dose, and/or operational concerns.
• Work with BWH inpatient pharmacy and Main Campus - Longwood regarding investigational drug supply/inventory, and drug ordering as well as troubleshoot active patient issues.
• Maintain adequate inventory and ensure timely transfer of research medications to BWH as well as return medications to DFCI when necessary.
• Monitor site based investigational drug inventory management and investigational drug accountability (e.g., drug procurement, expiration date updates, cycle counts, drug destruction, receipt verification of investigational products, compounding records, etc.) for new and existing patients.
• Collaborate with other members of the pharmacy, multidisciplinary clinical teams, study teams, and other departments internal and external to the Institute, communicate logistics and provide education/training on clinical trial details and operational considerations involved with the clinical research program.
• Ensure that investigational products are being prepared according to the established protocol and in consideration of patient and protocol parameters from the review and set-up of the trial to the patient dispense.
• Participate in audits (e.g., preparation activities, NCI, sponsor quality assurance, FDA, etc.). Participate in protocol-specific training for BWH research pharmacy staff on the clinical  and dispensing aspects of research medications.
• Act as a resource for questions that may arise during treatment. Participate in EPIC Beacon research treatment plan order and Willow medication build validation.
• Oversee the completeness of drug accountability logs and records for oncology studies at DFCI and BWH.
• Attend disease group meetings that treat inpatients to gain an understanding of priorities and upcoming patient treatments
• Participate in inpatient clinical trial site initiation visits for new studies and serves as the subject matter expert in conjunction with the main campus research pharmacist.
• Participate in new clinical trial review as well as amendment review with a focus on inpatient operations.
• Other duties and projects as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Ability to critically assess clinical trial documents, references and/or drug information sources with attention to detail.
• Works effectively as a member of a unit team, cross functional teams and thrives in team-oriented environments.
• Prioritizes and adapts to change; accepts additional responsibilities based on the changing needs of the work setting.
• Ability to effectively work and communicate with other pharmacy team members, patients, providers, and other institutions.
• Proficient in the use of all technology, references, workflows, safety reporting and protocol documentation required to perform primary job functions.
• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, work independently to meet deadlines, and adapt to changes in high-volume situations; accepts additional responsibilities based on the changing needs of the work setting.
• Ability to train and orient new pharmacists to the inpatient clinical trials.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

None

PATIENT CONTACT:

No

MINIMUM JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

The Research Pharmacist Specialist for Inpatient Clinical Trials must meet the following requirements to be hired and maintain their position in the Pharmacy Department at DFCI.

Minimum Education:

All Pharmacists require a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy or Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited college of Pharmacy.

Minimum Experience:

5 years of hospital pharmacy or pharmaceutical industry experience with at least 2 years of oncology, regulatory, or clinical research experience required.

License/Certification/Registration:

Must be licensed to practice pharmacy in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.