2025 Fall Pharmacology Conference

All times listed in Central Time (US & Canada).
Download event agenda (PDF)

Friday, October 17, 2025

• 7:30am - 8:00am

  Check-in

  Check in, visit vendors, get breakfast, network with peers

• 8:00am - 8:30am

  Welcome and MN APRN Coalition Update

  Dr. Kerry Johnson, DNP, APRN, CNP Dr. Teresa Cyrus, DNP, APRN, CNP
  0.5 CE Credits

  This session will outline the legislative priorities for the MN APRN Coalition and the processes used to achieve these legislative goals. Participants will learn how they can be involved and how they can influence APRN practice in MN.

• 8:30am - 9:30am

  Treatment Resistant PTSD & Depression

  Dr. Naomi Koenig, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, NREMPT, SAN
  1.0 CE Credit

  Treatment resistant depression and PTSD is more common than we want to admit. Patients should not be required to suffer through TRD, there are options to help. This presentation will cover some treatment options and basics of NMDA antagonist medications.

• 9:40am - 10:40am

  Supportive Supplements for GLP1 Users

  Dr. Kimberly Yung Pfuhl, DNP, APRN, CNP, CFNMP
  1.0 CE Credit

  This presentation will review the side effects of GLP1s for weight loss. It will also cover top supplements and lifestyle adjustments to minimize those side effects.

• 10:40am - 11:55am

  Blunt Truths: Marijuana and the Modern Clinician

  Dr. Jenna Herman, DNP, APRN FNP-BC
  1.25 CE Credits

  As marijuana legalization expands, nurse practitioners are increasingly encountering its use among patients with mental health and substance use disorders. This session explores the therapeutic potential and clinical risks of marijuana in conditions such as anxiety, PTSD, depression, and chronic pain. Participants will review current research on marijuana’s impact on cognition, mood, and behavior, and how these effects influence treatment outcomes. Practical strategies will be shared to support patient education, assess readiness, and incorporate marijuana use into care planning using an evidence-based, balanced approach.

• 12:05pm - 12:35pm

  Lunch and Learn

  Grail (Gallari)

  Grail (Gallari) presentation on product- multi-cancer early detection test

• 12:35pm - 1:50pm

  Pharmacology Forecast 2025: What APRNs Need to Know Now

  Dr. Myriam Roby, DNP, APRN, CNP, FNP Dr. Kerry Johnson, DNP, APRN, CNP
  1.25 CE Credits

  Staying current with rapidly evolving pharmaceutical updates is critical for safe and effective prescribing. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the most impactful drug approvals, clinical guideline changes, and FDA safety communications released in 2025. Designed specifically for APRNs, the presentation will highlight high-use drug classes in primary care, emerging therapies, and evolving treatment recommendations. Attendees will leave with actionable knowledge to immediately apply in clinical practice, ensuring optimal patient outcomes through up-to-date pharmacologic decision-making.

• 1:55pm - 3:10pm

  Psychotropic Prescribing in the Medically Ill: Clinical Pearls for Complex Cases

  Lynn Gevik, APRN, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC
  1.25 CE Credits

  Drawing on my experience as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner in consultation-liaison psychiatry, this session explores psychotropic medication prescribing in the context of serious physical illness. Using The Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines for Mental Health Conditions in Physical Illness as a clinical framework, we will examine prescribing strategies related to cardiac disease, COPD, kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, glaucoma, surgery, delirium, end-of-life care, and critical care. Topics include drug–drug interactions, organ impairment, QTc prolongation, and non-oral routes of administration. Designed for clinicians working in acute care, primary care, specialty care, long-term care, hospice, and ED/urgent care, this session offers practical tools for prescribing psychotropic medications in medically complex populations.

• 3:10pm - 4:10pm

  Pediatric Behavioral Health Pharmacology Overview

  Dr. Gretchen A. Moen, DNP, APRN CPNP-PC
  1.0 CE Credit

  Primary care providers are often the first and most frequent providers involved in child/adolescent health care. Understanding the purpose, cautions and side effects of medications used for behavioral/mental health encourages the primary care provider to support patients and their family along the behavioral health journey. Special considerations for pregnancy, anesthesia and travel/school will be addressed.

• 4:10pm - 4:30pm

  Closing Remarks, Survey Collection, Distribution of CE Certificates

  Dr. Christi Desautels, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PHN