UF College of Pharmacy students embrace virtual format for student poster presentations at ASHP Midyear

The UF College of Pharmacy’s tradition of presenting student posters at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, or ASHP, Midyear Clinical Meeting continued in 2020, despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 60 UF pharmacy students were selected to give virtual presentations, which ranks UF among the top 5 schools nationally in total student poster presentations.

Tara Gilliland ASHP Posters
Tara Gilliland was one of nearly 60 UF pharmacy students who presented a virtual poster at ASHP Midyear.

ASHP’s Clinical Midyear Meeting is traditionally the largest gathering of pharmacy professionals in the nation, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the conference into a virtual format this year. Meeting attendees were able to review posters and audio clips summarizing the projects any time, while live interactions were available during the UF student presentations on Dec. 8.

Tara Gilliland, a fourth-year Pharm.D. student, shared a poster on direct oral anticoagulants, or DOACs, which are not currently dosed based on a person’s body mass index, or BMI. The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemstasis published guidance in 2016 advising caution when using DOACs in obese patients. Gilliland’s study assessed the risk of adverse events for patients receiving a DOAC based on BMI and determined standard dosing of DOACs in patients with a BMI over 30 may not cause an increased risk of adverse events, but further research is needed.

“I was excited to present my research project to pharmacy professionals across the country and get their perspective on dosing DOACs related to body mass index,” Gilliland said. “The ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting is a great venue to share my research and discuss the clinical impact this project may have on practice.”

The UF College of Pharmacy expects to have another strong contingent of student poster presentations next year, as the 2021 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting is scheduled for Dec. 5-9, in Orlando, Florida.