Skip to main content Skip to main menu
UF Health University of Florida
College of Pharmacy UNIVERSITY of FLORIDA

UF Pharmacy’s Annual Research Showcase enters its fourth decade

Published On
Social Media
Yasmeen Abouelhassan, oral competition winner
Yasmeen Abouelhassan won top honors in the Senior/Millard Division of the oral competition. She is pictured here with Dean Julie Johnson and William Millard, emeritus faculty in the College of Pharmacy.

The Annual Research Showcase entered its fourth decade of celebrating discovery, collaboration and community at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy on Feb. 12. With 85 poster presentations, eight oral competition finalists and one amazing keynote speaker, the 31st consecutive showcase continued the college’s successful tradition.

Pharm.D. students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows had the opportunity to share research findings and compete for awards in either oral or poster competitions. The showcase gave faculty and students the opportunity to come together, identify common ideas and explore collaborations.

Joseph W. Polli, Ph.D., a senior director and senior fellow at GlaxoSmithKline delivered the keynote address titled, “The Role of Transporters in Lapatinib CNS and Tumor Disposition.”

Polli specializes in the study of supporting drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics in drug discovery and development. His research emphasis focuses on drug disposition properties, particularly on central nervous system penetration, gastrointestinal drug absorption, liver disposition and drug-drug interactions.

VIEW MORE PHOTOS »

Oral presentation winners

Levitt Division

Yan Li: Prevalence and Duration of Skeletal Muscle Relaxant Treatment Among Commercially Insured Adults in the United States:  2005-2015

Junior Division

Peilan Zhang: A Cytotoxic Protein from the Mushroom Coprinus comatus Possesses an Unique Mode for Glycan Binding and Specificity

Senior/Millard Division

Yasmeen Abouelhassan: RNA-Seq Reveals Unique Mechanism of MRSA Biofilm Eradication Using Halogenated Phenazine HP-14 as a Probe Molecule

Oral Competition Judges

Levitt Division

  • Joshua D. Brown
  • Kalen Manasco

Junior Division

  • Chris McCurdy
  • Daiqing Liao
  • Qui-Xing Jiang

Senior/Millard Division

  • Chris McCurdy
  • Joseph Polli
  • Yousong Ding

Poster competition winners

Ph.D. Category

  • Salma Bargal: GWAS for the Identification of Genetic Variants Predictive of Cytarabine In Vitro Sensitivity in Pediatric AML
  • Sarthak Singhal: Oxytocin Enhances Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission in a Layer Specific Manner in the Rat Medial Prefrontal Cortex

Postdoc Category

  • Sonal Singh: A Novel Missense Variant in the BEST3 Gene is Associated with Antihypertensive Response to Hydrochlorothiazide

Pharm.D. Category

  • Brian Piotrowski: Time Analysis of the Effect of Binge Ethanol Intake on Reinforcement Caused by Optogenetic Acitivation of Oxytocin Receptor Expressing Neurons in the VTA

Poster Competition Judges

Poster judges

  • William Cary Mobley, R.Ph., Ph.D.
  • Margaret O. James, Ph.D.
  • Thomas Schmittgen, Ph.D.
  • Sihem Bihorel, Ph.D., Pharm.D., M.S.
  • Drake Morgan, Ph.D.
  • Ashley N. Brown, Ph.D.
  • Chengguo Chris Xing, Ph.D.
  • Anthony M. Casapao, Pharm.D.
  • Ranjala Ratnayake, Ph.D.
  • David DeRemer, Pharm.D, FCCP, BCOP
  • Jenny Wilkerson, Ph.D.
  • Christopher Campbell, Pharm.D., BCPPS
  • Kalen Manasco, Pharm.D., BCPS, FPPAG
  • Lance McMahon, Jr. Ph.D., M.S.
  • Kelly K. Gurka, MPH, Ph. D.
  • Joseph Polli, Ph.D.