Advancing Pharmacy Practice in Transplant and Cellular Therapy: J Ryan Shaw, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, CPP, Previews the ASTCT and CIBMTR Tandem Meeting 2025

Pharmacy Times® interviewed J Ryan Shaw, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, CPP, a clinical pharmacist practitioner, Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy, University of North Carolina (UNC) Medical Center and adjunct assistant professor of clinical education, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, about the value of the 2025 American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) Tandem Meeting (Tandem Meeting) in Honolulu, Hawaii from February 12 to 15, for pharmacy professionals. Shaw emphasized the multidisciplinary value of the meeting, which fosters collaboration among clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates to advance transplant and cellular therapy.

J Ryan Shaw, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, CPP, is a clinical pharmacist practitioner, Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy, University of North Carolina (UNC) Medical Center and adjunct assistant professor of clinical education, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Shaw highlighted the importance of the pharmacy track for pharmacy professionals in particular at this meeting, as it provides over 12 hours of continuing education credits, including BCOP-specific sessions, on topics such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, gene therapy, toxicity management, and pharmacokinetics. The meeting also serves as a platform for networking and exchanging ideas to address clinical challenges and improve patient outcomes.

Shaw shared a few key sessions for pharmacists at this meeting, including updates on managing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), debates on gene therapy versus transplantation for sickle cell disease, and innovative uses of artificial intelligence in clinical practice. He also stressed the importance of addressing equitable access to care and expanding the reach of cutting-edge therapies. For pharmacy professionals, the meeting offers a unique opportunity to stay at the forefront of the rapidly evolving field, engage in meaningful discussions, and form lasting professional connections.

Pharmacy Times: Why do you attend the Tandem Meeting, and what do you see as the value of the meeting for your work?

Audience listens to speakers on stage. Image Credit: © THANANIT - stock.adobe.com

J Ryan Shaw, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, CPP: Attending the Tandem Meeting provides the opportunity to stay up to date on the cutting-edge of transplant and cellular therapy. Additionally, the Tandem Meeting is a multidisciplinary event, bringing together specialists from across the full life cycle of patient care—from diagnosis and treatment to remission and long-term outcomes. This approach fosters collaboration among clinicians, researchers, industry leaders, and patient advocates, ensuring that every aspect of transplantation and cellular therapy advances in a cohesive, patient-centered manner.

With the integration of the pharmacist-targeted sessions with the scientific program, attendees can explore the latest breakthroughs in research while also understanding how diverse expertise contributes to innovation, patient outcomes, and the future of the field.

The Hawaii Convention Center. Image Credit: © Marcus Jones - stock.adobe.com

In-person forums like the Tandem Meeting in Honolulu serve as a critical bridge between research and real-world application, fostering an environment where experts in basic science, clinical research, and patient care can exchange insights and challenge one another to refine approaches. This cross-disciplinary engagement ensures that cutting-edge discoveries are implemented in ways that improve outcomes across a broad spectrum of patients, from those undergoing first-line therapies to those with complex, refractory disease.

Pharmacy Times: For pharmacy professionals who are interested in learning more about the evolving field of hematopoietic cell transplantation, cellular therapy, and gene therapy, how might attending this meeting be beneficial?

Shaw: The ASTCT Pharmacy Special Interest Group (SIG) develops the role-specific pharmacy track at the Tandem Meeting every year. This track is focused on current topics and emerging therapies relevant to pharmacy practice including stem cell transplant, immunotherapy, CAR-T treatments, gene therapies, toxicity management, and plenty more. Whether you are a new or seasoned practitioner, pediatric- or adult-focused pharmacist, the sessions within the pharmacy track provide engaging content for a wide audience.

The program offers over 12 hours of continuing pharmacy education credits with 4 hours of board-certified oncology pharmacist (BCOP) credit in collaboration with the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) over 2 days. This directed, pharmacy-led content is a unique aspect of the Tandem Meeting that is not often found with other large oncology society meetings. The meeting also allows pharmacy professionals to make connections with other practice sites to exchange ideas and discuss active clinical or operational challenges.

Pharmacy Times: Have you attended past Tandem meetings, and what have been some highlights?

Shaw: I have attended ASTCT and CIBMTR Tandem meeting several times and always find the experience rewarding. It is a unique meeting specifically targeted to stem cell transplant and cellular therapy where you can learn about the amazing new science that is upcoming in the field, discuss current clinical dilemmas and best practices, as well as network with transplant and cellular therapy providers from across the world. The knowledge and connections made at the meeting have lasting impacts and provide useful long-term resources. The transplant and cellular therapy community is relatively small, but the connections made at the meetings have a huge impact on research and patient care.

Pharmacy Times: What are key sessions you think may be particularly valuable for pharmacy professionals at this meeting?

Shaw: There is always such amazing content at the Tandem Meetings. It is hard to go wrong with any of the sessions. The pharmacy track BCOP topics include management of refractory CAR T-cell therapy adverse effects, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS), immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), and immune effector cell-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis-like syndrome. Here are a few key presentations pharmacy professionals should not miss at the meeting:

• Friday, February 14, at 11 AM HST: The Wild West: Navigating Refractory CRS and ICANS presented by C. Brooke Adams, PharmD, BCOP, a clinical pharmacy specialist in blood and marrow transplantation and cellular therapy at Orlando Health in Florida.
• Friday, February 14, at 2 PM HST: CAR T & Bridging Chemotherapy presented by Daniel Schrum, PharmD, BCOP, a clinical pharmacist, inpatient malignant hematology and cellular therapy at Duke University Medical Center, and Vaishali Dulobdas, a hospital administrator, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Schrum and Dulobdas will discuss ongoing collaboration that began last year to bridge chemotherapy prior to CAR-T therapy.
• Saturday, February 15, at 11 AM HST: Gene Therapy vs. Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Sickle Cell Disease presented by Amanda Strommen, PharmD, BCOP, a clinical pharmacist specialist in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation and cellular therapy, Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora, and Erin Goodell, PharmD, BCOP, a clinical pharmacist specialist in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation and cellular therapy, Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora. Strommen and Goodell will debate gene therapy vs transplant for sickle cell disease.
• Saturday, February 15, at 1:45 PM HST: Acutely Aware of the Advancements Needed in Acute GVHD Management presented by Jennifer Collins, PharmD, BCOP, a clinical pharmacy specialist - hematology/oncology at the University of Chicago Medicine in Illinois. Collins will provide an update on therapies for acute GVHD.

Other hot topics in the pharmacy track include artificial intelligence, pharmacokinetics, respiratory syncytial virus, and aplastic anemia. On Friday, February 14, ChatBMT: Harnessing AI to Elevate Your Clinical Practice will begin at 8:15 AM HST and Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Fludarabine, Melphalan and Anti-thymocyte Globulin in Stem Cell Transplant will begin at 3:30 PM HST. On Saturday, February 15, Respiratory Syncytial Virus in HCT and CAR-T Therapy Patients will begin at 10:30 AM HST and Acquired Aplastic Anemia: Current Approaches, Predictive Biomarkers and Future Directions will begin at 1 PM HST.

The program will also include several returning sessions, including the Pharmacy SIG Update at 8:45 AM HST on Friday, February 14, and the Best Practice Panel focusing on outpatient CAR T-cell and bispecific T-cell engager administration. The Ins and Out(patients) of Cellular Therapy: Comparative Insights, Safety Strategies, and the Pharmacist’s Role in Cellular Therapy Success will begin at 8:15 AM HST on Saturday, February 15.

The ASTCT mentorship program of the Pharmacy Special Interest Group will be highlighted in 2 sessions: ASH Updates Part 1 at 9:15 AM HST on Friday, February 14, and A Guide to Mindful Mobilization – Optimizing Stem Cell Collection in Autologous Transplantation at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 15. A mentor with experience presenting at national conferences is paired with a mentee who is a first-time presenter.

Pharmacy Times: What are your hopes for this Tandem Meeting?

Shaw: I hope to explore scientific and clinical advancements within transplant and cellular therapy. Specifically, I think the emerging and rapidly advancing field of gene therapy will be a key theme during this year’s program. The clinical application of this novel technology is continuing to expand but comes with significant implementation challenges.

Another key theme that I intend to explore includes new advancements in the management of GVHD, which remains one of the major transplant-related complications and has been a focus of several innovative therapies (some of which have recently come to market). I also hope to attend session discussing access to care within transplant and cellular therapy. Equitable access to transplantation and cellular therapies is essential for improving survival and reducing disparities. Sessions will address logistical barriers and strategies to expand access to cutting-edge treatments for all patients, including underrepresented populations.

Lastly, the Tandem Meetings provide an opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the country (and the world). The relationships that I have built at the Tandem Meetings continue to be greatly professionally and personally enriching.