Talks
James McCormack, BSc(Pharm), Pharm D
Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of British Columbia
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
I received my undergraduate pharmacy degree at the University of British Columbia in 1982 and completed a hospital pharmacy residency program at Lion’s Gate Hospital in North Vancouver in 1984. I received my doctorate in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) in 1986 from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. I have had extensive experience, both locally and internationally, talking to health professionals and consumers about the rational use of medication, and have presented over 300 seminars on drug therapy over the last 20 plus years. My focus is shared decision-making using evidence based information and rational therapeutic principles. In addition, I have published over 100 articles in the medical literature, mainly in the area of rational drug therapy and I have been an editor for two internationally recognized textbooks on appropriate/rational drug therapy. I am also the co-host of a very popular weekly podcast called the Best Science (BS) Medicine podcast. It can be found at therapeuticseducation.org or in the iTunes store.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST – PHARMACEUTICAL OR OTHER COMMERCIAL SOURCES
I have had no financial or any other relationships with the pharmaceutical industry or any other commercial source in the last 25 years. I develop iPhone/iPad apps in the area of practical therapeutics and dissemination of evidence and sell these on iTunes and I also have a podcast and charge for some premium content. I also do some medical legal work.
PHILOSOPHY/CODE OF CONDUCT
All the information I present is based on the best available evidence that I can find with regards to the topic. I typically use only generic medication names but will occasionally use brand names if necessary.
COPYRIGHT
In many of my talks I use audio and video clips to enhance the educational experience. In Canada we have a law that states the use of copyrighted material as part of “Fair dealing for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody or satire does not infringe copyright”. The use of these clips is solely for non- commercial purposes and for the purposes of education.
RECORDING MY TALKS
You are more than welcome to record my talks and post them on the web as long as it is being done for non-commercial purposes but I retain copyright over the content.
COURSE/TALK OBJECTIVES
1) Appreciate some of the strengths and limitations of the medical evidence and clinical practice guidelines when it comes to common conditions in primary care
2) Understand the responsibility of health professionals to incorporate patient values into the decision making process
3) To be able to incorporate the relevant evidence into shared decision making for common conditions seen in primary care.
AUDIO VISUAL REQUIREMENTS
COMPUTER
For all my talks I bring my own MacBook Pro computer and I have all the adapters. My presentations run on Keynote and often contain embedded fonts, pictures, audio and video files. More often than not, my presentations don’t work very well when run on another computer. I have a wireless presentation remote that allows me to be up to 40ft away from my computer. If ABSOLUTELY necessary, I can bring my presentations on a memory stick and will be sensitive to the time requirements of the technical staff.
LCD PROJECTOR
For any presentation I give I will require an LCD projector. In addition, a screen as big the room will allow is always appreciated.
MICROPHONE
Depending on the size of the room and the number of participants, I may require a microphone. A WIRELESS lapel microphone is much preferred.
HANDOUTS
I am more than happy to provide handouts of my material 2-3 weeks ahead of time. If they are needed earlier than that I will do my best to accommodate.
