Students, trainees, faculty and staff from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy filled the Reitz Union on Feb. 9 for the 39th Annual Research Showcase. The action-packed day featured poster sessions, oral competitions, a keynote talk from Christopher McCurdy, Ph.D., FAAPS, and an award ceremony and reception.
Research Showcase has grown in size and stature over the years, and this event was no exception. A record 120 student and trainee posters were on display, with an expanded lineup of 15 oral presenters sharing their research this year.
“The Research Showcase is an awesome opportunity to really show all that we have learned,” said Kennedy Coleman, a second-year graduate student in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research. “It’s also a great opportunity to get feedback from our professors in an environment that fosters learning.”
The day began in the Grand Ballroom, which played host to this year’s poster competitions. Large poster boards lined the room as participants could be seen showcasing their projects in front of their peers and a panel of faculty judges. The poster competition allows students to build confidence and communication skills around their research while displaying their findings.
“For me, this is my first poster presentation as a graduate student, and it’s great to display all the hard work I have been doing,” said Christian Barnard, a third-year graduate student in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry. “It’s also really nice being able to stand next to posters that have a diverse range of research interests.”
Over in the auditorium, graduate students stepped up to the microphone and competed in the oral competition. For this event, each participant was allowed a 10-minute presentation about their work alongside a five-minute question-and-answer period before a panel of judges. Awards were presented among five divisions, and all participants received a certificate and a monetary award.
“Many times, we are so focused on our own work, so it’s insightful to see the research everyone else is doing,” said Andrew Brock, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmaceutics. “There are many benefits to talking with your peers about the research they are conducting and learning some new techniques that may impact my own research.”
The auditorium also played host to McCurdy as he gave a keynote talk about his research journey investigating kratom and the opportunities that have surfaced to influence policy decisions around the plant. Serving as a professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and the Frank A. Duckworth Eminent Scholar Chair, he is a broadly trained medicinal chemist, behavioral pharmacologist and pharmacist whose research focuses on the design, synthesis and development of drugs to treat pain and drug abuse. He is an internationally recognized expert on kratom, or mitragyna speciosa, which is under investigation for opioid withdrawal syndrome and other health benefits and harm.
UF College of Pharmacy
39th Annual Research Showcase Photos
View photos from the poster presentations, oral competition and awards ceremony
Award Winners
Oral Competition Awards
Maureen Keller-Wood Junior Graduate Student Research, Basic Sciences
Winner: Jean Malave (Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, under the mentorship of Dr. Lari Cavallari)
Finalist: Alexa Cooney (Department of Cellular and Systems Pharmacology, under the mentorship of Dr. Siobhan Malany)
Finalist: Ashai Williams (Department of Cellular and Systems Pharmacology, under the mentorship of Dr. Jay McLaughlin)
Maureen Keller-Wood Junior Graduate Student Research, Clinical Sciences
Winner: Ryanne Mulligan (Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, under the mentorship of Dr. Jatinder Lamba)
Finalist: Cameron Humerickhouse (Department of Pharmaceutics, under the mentorship of Dr. Stephan Schmidt)
Finalist: Mohammad Yaseliani (Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, under the mentorship of Dr. Md Hasan)
William J. Millard Senior Graduate Student Research, Basic Sciences
Co-Winners: Nadine Alshakhshir (Department of Cellular and Systems Pharmacology, under the mentorship of Dr. Jason Frazier) & Hsin-Ying Tsai (Department of Medicinal Chemistry, under the mentorship of Dr. Yousong Ding)
Finalist: Yujia Jiang (Department of Medicinal Chemistry, under the mentorship of Dr. Yousong Ding)
Julie A. Johnson Senior Graduate Student Research, Clinical Sciences
Winner: Sulafa Al Sahlawi (Department of Pharmaceutics, under the mentorship of Dr. Rodrigo Cristofoletti)
Finalist: Satyavardhan Rao Nittu (Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, under the mentorship of Dr. Jatinder Lamba)
Finalist: Priscila Yamamoto (Department of Pharmaceutics, under the mentorship of Dr. Natalia de Moraes)
Postdoctoral Scholar Research
Winner: Rongting Yue (Department of Medicinal Chemistry, under the mentorship of Dr. Yanjun Li)
Finalist: Mona Alshahawey (Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, under the mentorship of Dr. Caitrin McDonough)
Finalist: Iasmim Lima (Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, under the mentorship of Dr. Mohammed Gbadamosi)
Poster Competition Awards
Graduate Student Research, Basic Sciences
Kevon Jolly (Department of Pharmaceutics, under the mentorship of Dr. Fan Zhang)
Samantha Rakela (Department of Cellular and Systems Pharmacology, under the mentorship of Dr. Brandon Warren)
Brittan Pierce (Department of Pharmaceutics, under the mentorship of Dr. Stephan Schmidt)
Kennedy Coleman (Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, under the mentorship of Dr. Mohammed Gbadamosi)
Graduate Student Research, Clinical Sciences
Yanning Wang (Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, under the mentorship of Dr. Almut Winterstein)
Mina Park (Department of Pharmaceutics, under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Kim)
Hyunjae Jeong (Department of Pharmaceutics, under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Kim)
Shyam Ramesh (Department of Pharmaceutics, under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Kim)
Ngoc Thuy Tram Nguyen (Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, under the mentorship of Dr. Steve Smith)
Pharm.D. & Undergraduate Student Research
Chandni Patel (Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, under the mentorship of Dr. Jatinder Lamba)
Chan-Young Kim (Department of Cellular and Systems Pharmacology, under the mentorship of Dr. Jay McLaughlin)
Megan Simonelli (Department of Pharmacy Education and Practice, under the mentorship of Dr. Francheska Marte)
Postdoctoral Trainee Research
Amira Soliman (Department of Pharmaceutics, under the mentorship of Dr. Natalia de Moraes)
Shelby Tyler (Department of Medicinal Chemistry, under the mentorship of Dr. Chris McCurdy)