Ambulatory Pharmacists Convene in Boston at NEIAP's 2026 Annual Forum

At the New England Institute of Ambulatory Care Pharmacists (NEIAP) 2026 Annual Forum in Boston, Massachusetts, Pharmacy Times spoke with clinicians across the cardiorenal-metabolic spectrum about the expanding role of the ambulatory care pharmacist.

Anthony Ishak, PharmD, clinical pharmacist at Massachusetts General Hospital, discussed hypertension care, explaining how the PREVENT risk estimator helps pharmacists calibrate treatment intensity in stage 2 disease, why well-covered dual single-pill combinations remain more practical than newer triple therapy, and how earlier screening for primary aldosteronism fits pharmacist-led workflows.

Kelsey Norman, PharmD, BCCP, BCACP, clinical pharmacy coordinator in the Cardiovascular Center at Boston Medical Center, addressed the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) goal-attainment gap, describing how collaborative practice agreements, adherence-first decision-making, tight documentation, and pharmacy technician support get patients on non-statin therapies like proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 inhibitors faster.

Katelyn O'Brien, PharmD, BCPS, CDCES, BC-ADM, clinical pharmacy specialist in endocrinology at Boston Medical Center, framed pharmacists as the unifying "glue" in cardio-kidney-metabolic syndrome, tackling clinical inertia around SGLT2 inhibitors and emphasizing euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis counseling and sick-day management.

Jennifer Goldman, PharmD, CDCES, BC-ADM, FCCP, professor of pharmacy practice at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and director of cardiometabolic services at Well Life Medical, discussed obesity pharmacotherapy—titrating glucagon-like peptide-1 and dual GIP/GLP-1 agents to tolerability rather than maximum dose—and the pharmacist's role as continuous ketone monitoring emerges alongside CGM.

Jackie Burke, PharmD, clinical pharmacy manager at Atrius Health, examined collaborative drug therapy management (CDTM), identifying operational workflows—not clinical expertise—as the widest implementation gap and offering strategies to demonstrate value to physicians, leaders, and payers.

Finally, Vicki Saengkheune, PharmD, BCACP, and Abimbola (Bola) Olagunju, PharmD, RPh, ambulatory clinical pharmacy specialists at Beth Israel Lahey Health, shared how their pharmacist-led obesity clinic pairs medication titration and access support with individualized education and close follow-up amid a rapidly expanding treatment toolkit.

Together, their insights underscore a consistent theme: pharmacists getting patients to goals faster, safer, and more sustainably.