Pharmacist Lead, Inpatient Oncology Clinical Support

Overview

The Pharmacist Lead, Inpatient Oncology Clinical Support, is a DFCI-employed pharmacist embedded at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) or Mount Auburn Hospital (MAH). Reporting to the Pharmacy Manager of Orientation, Training, and Competency, this consultative role supports safe, consistent care for shared DFCI-oncology patients and ensures reliable bi-directional communication between inpatient care at BIDMC/MAH and ambulatory care at DFCI.

To learn more about why you should join the Pharmacy Department at Dana-Farber, please copy and paste the link below into your browser:

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:

1) Clinical integration and pharmacist-to-pharmacist support
• Serves as a consistent “bridge” between BIDMC/MAH-inpatient pharmacists and DFCI inpatient-oncology providers, strengthening working relationships and streamlining communication
• Serves as an on-site oncology-pharmacy clinical resource for BIDMC/MAH teams for complex oncology-medication questions related to shared DFCI patients, providing real-time consultation support to reinforce safe oncology-medication practices
• Supports orientation, onboarding, and ongoing training of newly hired inpatient-oncology pharmacists at BIDMC or MAH, in collaboration with local pharmacy leadership, by providing DFCI-specific oncology-practice context, shared patient workflows, and key contacts/escalation pathways for DFCI-oncology patients
• Identifies recurring knowledge gaps or high-risk scenarios and coordinates targeted education with BIDMC/MAH-pharmacy leadership

2) Transitions-of-care communication for shared oncology patients from inpatient to DFCI ambulatory
• Establishes and maintains a reliable medication- and treatment-plan-handoff workflow for select high-risk DFCI patients discharged from BIDMC/MAH back to DFCI ambulatory care
• Communicates time-sensitive changes to DFCI ambulatory pharmacy teams, such as:
i. chemotherapy-plan changes, dose modifications, delays/holds, toxicity events impacting future therapy
ii. new or discontinued supportive care meds that affect ongoing outpatient management
iii. monitoring needs and follow-up medication plans tied to oncology therapy
• Anticipates downstream outpatient-access issues created by inpatient changes and alerts DFCI ambulatory pharmacy/clinic teams when action is needed (e.g., continuity of a specialty medication)

3) Inpatient chemotherapy-process support
• Serves as the pharmacy liaison for the inpatient chemotherapy-approval/authorization process for shared DFCI-oncology patients
• Provides regimen-specific clarification support for shared DFCI patients
• Escalates patient-specific concerns to the appropriate DFCI-disease group/ambulatory team to align inpatient actions with the outpatient-treatment plan

4) Liaison for inpatient-medication policies 
• Serves as the DFCI-pharmacy liaison to BIDMC/MAH for inpatient medication-use policies with which DFCI intends to align
• Assists with policy-review cycles, and routes questions/updates through the appropriate governance channels at each institution (P&T, medication safety, etc.)

5) Quality/safety surveillance for cross-site issues
• Tracks and trends cross-site medication-related issues affecting shared patients (e.g., recurring handoff failures, repeated clarification types, common delay drivers)
• Leads or co-leads joint-improvement initiatives with BIDMC/MAH counterparts focused on reducing patient disruption and improving reliability of oncology-medication management across settings

6) Relationship management and governance support
• Maintains regular touchpoints with BIDMC/MAH oncology-pharmacy leadership and key DFCI stakeholders (ambulatory pharmacy leaders, disease-group pharmacists, medication safety)
• Clarifies escalation pathways and maintains up-to-date contact lists for high-risk oncology-medication issues

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Competence in clinical-oncology pharmacotherapy, demonstrating thorough understanding and adherence to safety protocols and best practices in oncology pharmacy
• Knowledge of regulatory standards, including those set by the Joint Commission, Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy, and Department of Public Health
• Skill in prioritizing and organizing work, even under stress and tight deadlines
• Strong problem-solving abilities, with a proactive approach to challenges and the discernment to escalate issues when necessary
• Team-orientation with a collaborative spirit and the ability to support colleagues to achieve organizational objectives
• Adaptable to shifting priorities and responsibilities in a dynamic work environment
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to engage professionally with a diverse range of individuals

Minimum Job Qualifications:

Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy or Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited college of Pharmacy required. 8 years of hospital pharmacy with at least 6 years of experience in oncology is required; or completion of a PGY1 hospital pharmacy practice residency plus at least 5 years in oncology practice; or completion of a PGY2 pharmacy residency plus at least 3 year in oncology practice.

License/Certification/Registration Required:

• License to practice pharmacy in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• Oncology Pharmacy Specialty Certification (BCOP)

Supervisory Responsibilities:

No

Patient Contact:

No

Special Working Conditions:

None

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

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Pay Transparency Statement

The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.

For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

$161,400.00 - $174,700.00