How HOPA President Amy Seung Plans to Strengthen Oncology Pharmacy Amid Rapid Change

As oncology pharmacy navigates unprecedented therapeutic innovation, workforce strain, and shifting care models, the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) is stepping into a pivotal year. Incoming president Amy Seung, PharmD, BCOP, CHCP, FHOPA, discusses her vision for supporting pharmacists across diverse practice settings, advancing education and research, and preparing the profession for emerging technologies and expanding responsibilities. In this interview, she shares how HOPA can elevate its members and strengthen patient care amid rapid transformation.

Q: You're stepping into the HOPA presidency at a moment when oncology pharmacy is facing real headwinds—funding pressures, access challenges, and a rapidly evolving treatment landscape. How do you frame your priorities for the year ahead given everything the field is navigating right now?
Amy Seung, PharmD, BCOP, CHCP, FHOPA: So in terms of the priorities for the year ahead and my HOPA presidency, there is so much going on in terms of the cancer treatment landscape—large, big, innovative therapies coming out, complex regimens, lots of legislative actions, and so many more things. The biggest thing is just continuing to propel HOPA forward. We know how to look at data. We know how to look at our evidence. Our best thing to do is to help our members be prepared to take care of their patients. That is giving them additional education, helping them with their skills, and making sure that they are ready for what they need to do in their career. And we are doing a lot more with research collaboration as well as mentorship opportunities. So those are some of the things.

Q: How does your breadth of experience shape how you see HOPA's role, not just for hospital-based pharmacists but across the full spectrum of where oncology pharmacy is practiced today?
Seung: Okay, so one of the biggest things in the cancer treatment landscape is that oncology pharmacists have found roles across the entire ecosystem. Pharmacists were once seen in direct patient care, maybe in a hospital setting, an infusion room, or an ambulatory practice. We see oncology pharmacists in so many roles now—industry, education, technology—in addition to lots of important direct patient care roles, data and analytics, and economics and outcomes research. And so it is very important for all of us to realize that we are all oncology pharmacists, and us working together is going to help the ultimate care for our patients.

Q: You've spent significant time at the intersection of oncology pharmacy and health informatics. As artificial intelligence (AI) and clinical decision support tools become more embedded in cancer care, what role do you see HOPA playing in helping pharmacists use and critically evaluate these technologies?
Seung: The use of AI technology software is part of our everyday lives. It is impacting our work lives as well. HOPA will help all of us as oncology practitioners with the use of this technology and the best ways to use AI by really just continuing to increase members’ discussion around this as we start to figure out evidence-based ways to use this, sharing best practices, and really just offering continued ways to continue to talk about this. This is evolving so quickly; there is not a one-time answer. And so we will continue to evolve together and figure out the best ways to help our patients here.

Q: Oral oncolytics, adherence, and the pharmacist's role in specialty pharmacy continue to grow in importance. As more cancer treatment moves closer to home, what does HOPA need to do to ensure its members are equipped clinically and operationally for that shift?
Seung: Historically, patients have been treated at large cancer centers or large academic centers, and we know that patients do better when they are treated close to home, where they have a really good support system. So one of the ways that we can continue to help patients do better is by helping to make sure that across practice settings—whether you are in the community, rural or urban, or academic—that patients receive the same high level of quality care. And so we do help equip our members to do that by sharing resources, sharing best practices, and sharing the evidence and data that pharmacists are generating to show how pharmacists are making the impact in those practices.

Q: Workforce pipeline and training are areas HOPA has been investing in heavily. What's your vision for how HOPA can better support residents, trainees, and early-career pharmacists, especially those at institutions that may not have the same resources as major academic cancer centers?
Seung: We know that pharmacists and oncology pharmacists are taking care of patients across so many different types of practice settings. It is really important to know that the role of the oncology pharmacist really shifts depending on the resources within their organization. There are plenty of organizations with 50-plus oncology pharmacists, and then there are organizations with 2 or 1 oncology pharmacist expected to know everything for every patient at any given time. So HOPA is able to help equip our members with the resources that they need based on their practice setting, so that they can help their patients wherever they are within their treatments.