The 2014 ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition, held Dec.  7–11 at the Anaheim Convention Center, brought together the pharmaceutical community for their greatest adventure. 

The Midyear meeting is considered the largest gathering of pharmacists in the world annually, and this could be seen with more than 20,000 attendees exploring both the impactful educational sessions and the 100,000-plus square feet of exhibit space and nearly 350 exhibitors onsite.  

Overall attendance was similar to last year, and the exhibit hall has grown from 2013.

“The ASHP Midyear Meeting is always well attended,” said Julie Webb, vice president of ASHP Office of Professional Development.

She added, “Attendees come not only for the education, but also for networking opportunities, personnel placement and poster presentations.  This show provides a variety of engagement that our members appreciate.”

This was seen among many of the next generation of pharmacists. Attendee and 2015 pharmacy student Irene Catalan from Pacific University said about the show, “This show is great for pharmacy students.  We not only participate in the educational sessions, but we can also network within the industry, and start to connect with employers.” 

And one very popular event was the Residents Meet-Up, which provided an opportunity for residents to meet with key opinion leaders in healthcare and pharmacy. “The Residents Meet-Up was extremely popular this year,” Webb said,

She added, “This was a unique opportunity for residents to meet the current movers and shakers in pharmacy.  Those leaders also enjoyed networking and sharing their knowledge with the next generation of pharmacists.”

The key trends in pharmacy, and reflected in the education sessions and exhibits, were advancements in medication safety and positioning the pharmacist as part of the patient care team. 

Jason Ford, public relations and corporate communications manager at Braun, said, “Braun has been exhibiting at the conference for over 35 years. The focus on medication safety is key to our industry. This year we are proud to be a sponsor in the Intelligent Pharmacy Pavilion, where we can show what Braun is doing to impact this issue.”

The Intelligent Pharmacy Pavilion showcased how technology is being used to reduce medication errors and help healthcare workers deliver better care to patients.

 “We were very excited to participate in the Intelligent Pharmacy Pavilion,” said Kristen Hanlin, senior trade show manager at CareFusion. “There is great importance regarding the use of technology by the technician and health care worker to impact patient safety and reduce medication errors.  It is great to see a portion of the exhibit floor solely focused on this topic. And we are already looking forward to next year’s meeting and seeing what additions ASHP brings.”

Next year’s meeting and exhibition will mark the 50^th anniversary of the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition and will take place Dec. 6-10 in New Orleans.