Kayla Smith, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, received an F31 award from the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. The predoctoral fellowship will support Smith as she works to integrate electronic health record data with insurance claims and a national pharmacy fill database to build a clearer picture of how people use GLP-1 receptor agonist medications in the real world.
Smith said receiving the award is “one of the most meaningful milestones” in her career thus far, proving the significance of her research studying GLP-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1RAs. With tradenames such as Ozempic and Wegovy, GLP-1RAs are traditionally prescribed to patients with Type 2 diabetes but have gained recent popularity for their ability to treat obesity by altering the brain’s reward mechanisms to reduce appetite.
“GLP1-receptor agonists are now used by millions of Americans, but because patients can access these medications through a variety of channels — insurance, cash pay and online pharmacies — researchers can’t accurately identify who is truly using them. This uncertainty makes it challenging to know how these drugs are performing in the real world,” Smith said. “Knowing that the NIH sees this as a worthwhile investment is incredibly motivating. It’s a reminder that the patients and providers navigating these treatment decisions every day are the reason this research matters. It pushes me to make sure the work lives up to that responsibility.”
The award will support Smith’s research in multiple ways. Its resources ensure Smith can maintain a dedicated research schedule to finish her project, and it also connects Smith to specialized training opportunities and a network of pharmacoepidemiology researchers with whom Smith can collaborate and seek feedback.
“Instead of splitting my attention across coursework, clinical duties, teaching and graduate assistant responsibilities, I can focus my time on completing this project, which is essential for this methodologically complex research,” Smith said. “It also gives me access to resources that deepen my understanding of more advanced pharmacoepidemiologic methods.”
Smith was also accepted into the National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program, which pays up to $50,000 each year to students with educational debt whose research has the potential to sustain a successful career. Smith said this pair of achievements wouldn’t be possible without the thoughtful guidance of her faculty mentor, Steven Smith, Pharm.D., M.P.H., chair and associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy.
“This recognition is, in many ways, a reflection of the mentorship I’ve received from Dr. Smith, whose own NIH funding track record has shaped how I think about designing rigorous and impactful research,” Smith said. “Looking ahead, this fellowship serves as a stepping stone, motivating me to keep building toward future NIH funding as my career progresses.”