University of Florida College of Pharmacy graduate students Kayla Smith, Pharm.D., and Kalynn Turner were awarded fellowships from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education. Smith received the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists-American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education, or ASHP-AFPE, Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, while Turner received the AFPE Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Sciences.
AFPE’s Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Program supports Ph.D. candidates whose research addresses critical challenges in pharmaceutical sciences, clinical research and health outcomes.
For Smith, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, this fellowship signifies the potentially far-reaching impact of her research, which integrates multiple sources of patient health information in order to reliably capture real-world patterns of GLP-1 medication use.
“This fellowship award isn’t just a recognition of the work I have done so far. It’s an investment in the researcher I’m still becoming, and in the larger goal of generating evidence that can genuinely improve how these medications are used in practice for our patients,” Smith said.
By tracking and describing treatment patterns of GLP-1 medication use and assessing the medication’s impact on blood pressure, Smith’s research aims to create the certainty necessary to evaluate the safety and efficacy of these medications in real-world settings. It’s a tall order, but one made easier for Smith with the guidance of her faculty mentor, Steven Smith, Pharm.D., M.P.H., chair and associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy.
“Dr. Smith has been someone I can count on during the more challenging parts of this journey. The moments when the analysis doesn’t work, a paper gets rejected or I question whether I’m cut out for this, he’s consistently been there, motivating me to keep pushing forward,” Smith said. “Just as importantly, he’s given me a diverse set of experiences that have shaped me into a well-rounded researcher, one who is equipped to make an impact at every stage of the clinical research pipeline from bench to bedside to policy.”
Cellular and Systems Pharmacology graduate student Kalynn Turner was awarded her fellowship to pursue the development of a specialized, enzyme-modified microbiosensor to study serotonin and glucose fluctuations in live brain tissue. She said this recognition serves as fuel for her research journey, which has taken her from the chemistry labs at North Carolina State University in Raleigh to the pharmacology research spaces at UF’s Gainesville campus.
“I hope to take my unique experiences as a chemist-turned-pharmacologist and make a real difference in the lives of those who are struggling with the untreatable,” Turner said. “Getting this recognition makes me feel really proud of myself and my lab for applying our work and knowledge to a broader set of questions, enhancing our scientific impact.”
Turner’s studies aim to produce improved therapeutic treatment strategies in disorders where both serotonin signaling and brain glucose metabolism are disrupted. Her multipronged approach was developed and refined with the encouragement of her faculty mentor, Leslie Sombers, Ph.D., a professor of cellular and systems pharmacology in the UF College of Pharmacy.
“Prior to meeting Dr. Sombers, I had no idea that one could use analytical detection methods to monitor neurotransmitters in the brain. My growth as an undergraduate and graduate student in her lab can be attributed to the supply of support and constructive criticism that she offers,” Turner said. “She’s helped me realize that neurotransmitter systems do not operate alone. Studying one neurochemical at a time can be likened to listening to only the violin in a full orchestra. Taking a multi-analyte approach holds tremendous promise for a new appreciation of the symphony of neurochemical signaling that orchestrates brain function.”