Sabiha Rahman Mim, a graduate student in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutics, has been named the recipient of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology, or ACCP, and International Society of Pharmacometrics, or ISoP, Special Interest Group Student Abstract Award.
This award recognizes the top-scoring special interest abstract submitted to the 2026 ACCP Annual Meeting, as selected by a team of reviewers. Mim will receive a complimentary three-day registration, a trophy, a $500 honorarium and up to $500 in travel reimbursement.
“To me, this award represents more than recognition. It is an encouragement to continue pursuing research that can make a meaningful difference for underserved and special patient populations,” Mim said. “It strengthens my belief that even a small contribution from research can have a significant impact on a patient’s life and motivates me to continue translating research into better patient care.”
Mim’s research focuses on improving milrinone dosing in critically ill children receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO. Milrinone is commonly used to support cardiac function in patients with heart failure, and ECMO can change the way the body processes medications while potentially leading to inadequate exposure or toxicity. Determining appropriate doses in children is further complicated by age-related physiological changes, renal function and variability in critical illness.
“To address these challenges, we combined data from ex vivo ECMO circuits and clinical pharmacokinetic studies with physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling to characterize milrinone disposition and support clinically relevant dosing recommendations,” Mim said. “The results showed that the ECMO circuit had minimal impact on milrinone exposure, whereas age and renal function were the primary drivers of variability.”
Mim said model simulations across the pediatric age range, from newborns to older children, showed that patients with impaired kidney function may need lower doses of milrinone, while those who clear the drug more quickly may need higher doses to maintain effective drug levels. She added that these findings support individualized milrinone dosing based on age and renal function in pediatric patients receiving ECMO.
“I am deeply grateful to all the mentors who have supported me throughout my journey, from the University of Utah to my current advisor, Francine Azeredo, Ph.D. I am especially thankful for her tremendous support and for always believing in me,” Mim said. “Her mentorship has taught me to think critically and patiently, navigate complex research and value every small detail. I am truly grateful to everyone who has guided and encouraged me along the way.”
The ACCP Annual Meeting will take place Sept. 27-29, in Bethesda, Maryland.