Fourth-year University of Florida College of Pharmacy Pharm.D. candidates Lemay Gonzalez and Fabian Quiroga were selected as 2025 recipients of the ASHP Foundation Professional Advancement Scholarship.
The American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, or ASHP, Foundation awards only 14 graduating pharmacy students each year with this scholarship, which provides full registration for the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, a $1,000 travel stipend and recognition at the event and in other ASHP and foundation channels.
Quiroga said receiving this honor is a humbling recognition of his hard work, perseverance and dedication to advancing his pharmacy education.
“I am deeply grateful for the constant support of my preceptors, mentors and friends, who have guided me in reaching my goals and inspired me to pursue new ones,” he said. “This scholarship will give me the opportunity to further pursue my goal of learning as much as possible before applying to PGY1 programs, helping me make the most informed decisions for my career and personal growth.”
After graduating this spring, Quiroga plans to further his clinical training with both a PGY1 and PGY2 residency, critical experiences that will guide him toward a career in either infectious diseases, critical care or cardiology. Setting his sights even further in the future, Quiroga aims to work in academia as a clinical professor, where he can serve students in the classroom and patients in a variety of clinical settings.
Presenting his research and connecting with others at this year’s ASHP Midyear Meeting will shape Quiroga’s future career, he said.
“This scholarship enables me to participate in an event that will not only strengthen my clinical and professional skills but also inspire me to continue contributing to the advancement of our profession,” Quiroga said. “I look forward to presenting several projects I have worked on during my APPE year, including two retrospective medication use evaluations and a patient case report. This is an opportunity to showcase my team’s work on initiatives that aim to improve patient care and create positive change at the institutional level.”
Gonzalez considers the scholarship an important milestone in his professional journey, recognition that galvanizes his dedication to advancing patient-centered pharmacy practice. After graduating, he aims to become a clinical pharmacist specializing in infectious diseases, focusing on antimicrobial pharmacokinetics and therapeutic drug monitoring.
“This award reaffirms my goal of contributing meaningfully to the field of infectious diseases and motivates me to continue pursuing excellence in clinical care, research and leadership,” Gonzalez said. “I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity, as it allows me to expand my knowledge, strengthen my professional network and represent my college at a national level among pharmacy leaders and innovators.”
At the midyear meeting, Gonzalez will present a pair of research posters that explore oral anticoagulant dosing and antimicrobial assessment tools, work that illustrates his passion for taking part in evidence-based, system-level improvements in pharmacy practice. He said participating in the meeting will enable him to receive feedback from peers and leaders whose expertise will guide him toward a satisfying, impactful career.
“Beyond direct patient care, I aim to make a lasting impact by mentoring future pharmacists and advancing clinical research that drives innovation in pharmacy practice,” he said. “By integrating compassion, collaboration and scientific rigor into my work, I hope to help shape a health care system that is both data-driven and deeply human-centered.”
The ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting is one of the largest gatherings of pharmacists in the world. The event will take place Dec. 7-10, 2025, in Las Vegas.