Transforming Oncology Care: Insights into NCODA’s PQI Initiatives

In an interview with Pharmacy Times®, Ginger Blackmon, PharmD, Associate Director of Clinical Initiatives at NCODA, offers insights into her upcoming discussion on NCODA PQI, a concise and precise collection of resources for clinicians. She also shares her personal cancer journey and path to becoming an oncology pharmacist.

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Pharmacy Times: Can you share your journey to becoming an oncology pharmacist?

Blackmon: I worked in a pharmacy first in high school. It was my very first job when I was 16. I really loved it. It was a community independent pharmacy in my small town where I grew up in Florida, and then I went to University of Florida for my undergrad. I went to Mercer University for pharmacy school and graduated what will be almost 20 years ago, which is crazy. In 2025, I went on to retail community pharmacy. I really hoped eventually to work in independent pharmacy, and I will say the oncology pharmacy found me. I didn't necessarily find it. I'm a person of faith, so I really believe that was kind of the path set out for me, not that I set out on.

So, the week after pharmacy school, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and went through chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and then 3 years later, I relapsed. So, I had a stem cell transplant, more chemo, and just really direct through that. During that I grew a passion for oncology. I worked in retail for about 7 years and then did some compounding, and eventually a position opened up at cancer specialist of North Florida, which is a community practice here, they were looking for a pharmacy manager with retail experience. I think they figured you could teach the oncology, but they needed you to know a lot of the business that comes behind retail.

I worked there under an incredible leader, who was our CEO and also a pharmacist. I learned a lot about the business of oncology and was the pharmacy manager there for 8 years, and then was part of NCODA as a member from the day that Mike started it. So about 4 and a half years ago, I was able to come over and work full time for NCODA.

Pharmacy Times: Did you encounter barriers to care, and how did that experience influence the work you do now as an oncology pharmacist and at NCODA?

Blackmon: I was very fortunate to not experience your traditional barriers as far as insurance coverage. My husband had just gotten out of the army, and we had TRICARE, so we were very fortunate in their coverage of everything because he was in the army longer than he initially signed up to be. So, I do always tell our pharmacy students make sure, because I would have been tempted, I think, to go without coverage. I was 23 until that first 90 days kicks in of your first job. So, I always tell our students, no matter what, make sure you do not go without any type of coverage.

But I did experience some of the barriers that I would say come with young adult cancer. So, I had barriers in being diagnosed. It took about 6 months for someone to finally listen and recognize I was even told I was a paranoid person, you know? I was told it was allergies, but I had a swollen lymph node in my neck. So, I think a lot of it was because I was a 23 otherwise very healthy young person. And then I would say, too, my husband was starting school and I was starting work. So, I think a lot of young adult cancer patients we did receive help from our parents, some during my treatment, because we were both starting out and still in school. And I think some of the issues like fertility. We were fortunate that that was offered to us, but we did not take it. But I know a lot of young adult cancer survivors are not offered that option still, so and a lot of the follow up, so it's kind of like you finished treatment and then what's next? What's going to happen in 20 years?

I would say my main barriers were young adult related things, but I do think that it played a role in being an oncology pharmacist and really understanding where the patients are coming from. And I know I acted as an interpreter to my family a lot and our friends of what is happening, but just thinking about that patient, if I am confused and can have trouble figuring things out, what about those who have absolutely no medical knowledge coming into things?

Pharmacy Times: What will your session at the NCODA of fall summit focus on?

Blackmon: The session at the Fall Summit is on putting PQI, NCODA’s Positive Quality Intervention resource into action. So, we'll really review with 3 panelists. They are all representing different PQI and action articles from both community and academic health systems. And they will really talk through what a PQI is, the benefits of practice, and then we will take a deep dive into each one of their PQI in action articles. And those articles take 2 centers, sometimes 3. We interview the whole team, so pharmacist, pharmacy technician, nurse, physician or advanced practice provider, and talk about patient management strategies. We talk about the benefit of the medically integrated team and everyone working together as a team, and then really how they can best educate patients on specific therapies. So, the session will cover all of those things, they'll talk about their practice setup, how they incorporate PQ eyes into practice, and then specific management and education techniques.

Pharmacy Times: Can you discuss its role and impact, and in what ways does it enhance patient cancer care?

Blackmon: I would be remiss with our executive director if I do not give the exact definition of a PQI, that they are clinical guidance documents which provide concise, precise and step by step guidance on oral and IV oncolytics, supportive care and disease state management. So, we like to always describe them as that precise and concise, peer reviewed clinical guidance resource, but they're really a way that we can standardize information to make sure no matter the setting. So, I was treated in an academic medical center, great, great cancer care in 2 different cancer centers. Then I worked in a community practice, and we really believe that standardization will allow the same care to be given to patients no matter where they live. So, it’s just a great resource for the whole team with drug therapy management. We have practices who use them for staff education and practices who use them to build EMR treatment plans when a drug is first released. It gives a lot of real-world evidence, so it's either pharmacists or physicians who are authoring them, but they involve patient management and education strategies.

Pharmacy Times: What is the significance of the NCODA Fall Summit, and what are you looking forward to the most?

Blackmon: So, it is our flagship meeting, and we'll have, I think, almost 1000 or around 1000 participants between our members, which include the whole team, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses, physicians, other support staff, our partners, who we are. We are very collaborative organization and really believe in partner participation as well, and then students. This is always a high energy meeting, because we do have a good amount of our pharmacy students there, but I'm really looking forward to a seeing all of our members and in our staff. We're all remote, so don't get to see each other very often, but we're surrounded by fantastic people at NCODA, both members and partners. So always great to network and to see everyone who's participating in our events, and then also, I'm really looking forward to the education.

I feel like our meetings just keep getting better and better. I know that our keynote, Shante Lowe is amazing. She's a former Olympian and breast cancer survivor. She recorded a podcast with us, and she's just such a light and has so much energy. We have great sessions for nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, lot of CE, and then our closing session a highlight from Mohamed A. Kharfan-Dabaja, who is the head of cellular therapies at Mayo Clinic here in Jacksonville, and he happened to also be my transplant doctor 16 years ago. So, this will, this will be the first time I've seen him in person since then, and I’m excited to see it full circle and get to hug his neck.

Pharmacy Times: Can you share some final words about encoders, mission and efforts to encourage optimal care for patients with cancer?

Blackmon: We are definitely a mission driven organization. Our executive director makes sure of that. I can tell you our mission is to empower the medically integrated oncology team to deliver positive, patient centered outcomes by providing leadership expertise, quality standards and best practices. We repeat that. You'll hear it at the meeting to start out. We repeat it at all of our team meetings, just trying to keep that laser focus on what we do is truly to help the providers and directly to help the patients as well. And not only the why behind what we do, but I know Mike, our Executive Director, we're also very big on the how we do things as well.