Two CICMD Trainees Receive Prestigious AFPE Fellowships » Center for Integrative Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease »

The Center for Integrative Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease congratulates CICMD trainees and University of Florida College of Pharmacy graduate students Kayla Smith, Pharm.D., and Kalynn Turner on receiving prestigious predoctoral fellowships from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education.

Smith, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, received the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists–American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. Her research integrates multiple sources of patient health information to examine real-world patterns of glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, medication use.

By tracking treatment patterns and evaluating the effects of GLP-1 medications on blood pressure, Smith aims to strengthen the evidence needed to assess the safety and effectiveness of these therapies in real-world clinical practice. Her faculty mentor is Steven Smith, Pharm.D., M.P.H., director of CICMD and chair and associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy.

Turner, a graduate student in Cellular and Systems Pharmacology, received the AFPE Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Her research focuses on developing an enzyme-modified microbiosensor to study changes in serotonin and glucose in living brain tissue. This work may contribute to improved treatment strategies for disorders involving disruptions in both serotonin signaling and brain glucose metabolism. Turner is mentored by Leslie Sombers, Ph.D., professor of cellular and systems pharmacology in the UF College of Pharmacy.

The AFPE Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Program supports Ph.D. candidates whose research addresses critical challenges in pharmaceutical sciences, clinical research and health outcomes.

CICMD is proud to recognize Smith and Turner for this outstanding achievement and their dedication to advancing innovative, interdisciplinary research with the potential to improve human health.