The Twentieth Annual Louis C. Littlefield Celebrating Pharmacy Research Excellence Day was held on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 in a new venue with new impressive research accomplishments from across the college community.
Hosted by the College of Pharmacy’s Office of the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, this annual event highlights the accomplishments of Texas Pharmacy researchers at all levels: undergraduate, Pharm.D. and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and residents, as well as research staff and faculty.
The day began with a keynote scientific lecture ”Transporters in Precision Medicine: From Molecular Discovery to Clinical Drug Response” from Kathy Giacomini, Ph.D., B.S.Pharm. Dr. Giacomini is Dean and Associate Vice Chancellor in the School of Pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco and Co-Director of the UCSF-Stanford Center of Excellence in Regulatory Sciences and Innovation.
The event also included a distinguished faculty lecture from Carolyn M. Brown, Ph.D., FAPhA, Professor of Health Outcomes, Henry M. Burlage Centennial Endowed Professor and Distinguished Service Professor. Brown's presentation was titled “When Patient Centered Care is not so Centered on All Patients: The Long-Standing and Unjust Racial Disparities in Health in the United States."
Abstract winners shared their current research during a lunch-hour presentation leading into the afternoon scientific poster session. This year featured a new venue in the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center surrounded by windows during a rainy day. After abstract presentations, attendees went to the poster rooms to see and hear about more research.
2024 Abstract Award Winners
Pharm.D. Professional Program:
Amelia McGill, Pharm.D.
“Immune Resilience During Acute COVID-19 Associates with Post-Acute COVID-19 Symptoms”
Mentor: Grace Lee, Pharm.D., Ph.D., BCPS
Undergraduate Program:
Benjamin Rogers
“Stereological Estimates of Dentate Gyrus Volume in Male and Female Rats in Abstinence Following Alcohol Dependence”
Mentor: Kimberly Nixon, Ph.D.
Graduate Program:
Amanda Bohanon
“The Role of an Intrinsically Disordered Loop in Regulating the Cellular Activity of Eukaryotic Elongation Factor-2 Kinase”
Mentor: Kevin Dalby, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Program:
Miguel Jara
“The Challenge of Formulating an Amorphous Solid Dispersion of Thermally Labile Compounds: Fenbendazole as a Case of Study”
Mentor: Robert O. Williams III, Ph.D.
Resident Program:
Maia Klimatcheva
“Effect of Switching from Levetiracetam to Brivaracetam for Seizure Prophylaxis Following Traumatic Brain Injury on Behavioral Outcomes in ICU Patients”
Mentor: Colleen Barthol, Pharm.D., BCCCP
Staff Scientist:
Laura Christensen
“Triplex-Forming Oligonucleotides Improve the Effectiveness of Gemcitabine Against Human Tumors in Mice”
Mentor: Karen Vasquez, Ph.D.
2024 Poster Award Winners
Pharm.D. Professional Program:
Kayla Walker, Alexcia S. Carr, Leticia R. Moczygemba, Pharm.D., Ph.D., FAACP, FAPhA, Andrew Wash, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
"PHARMACIST PERCEPTIONS OF MOTIVATION AND WELL-BEING USING SELF- DETERMINATION THEORY: A QUALITATIVE STUDY"
Mentor: Leticia R. Moczygemba, Pharm.D., Ph.D., FAACP, FAPhA
Undergraduate Program:
Leanna Doan, Brandy N. Routh, Laura Fonken, Ph.D.
"EFFECTS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE PATHOLOGY ON CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS AND NEUROINFLAMMATION"
Mentor: Brandy N. Routh
Graduate Program:
Dann D. Rivera, Ayush G. Iyer, Aarti Bashyal, John Schroeder, Ryan Lee, Jennifer S. Brodbelt, Walter Fast, Ph.D.
"DISCOVERY AND OPTIMIZATION OF A LYSINE-TARGETED COVALENT INACTIVATOR OF NEW DELHI METALLO- Β-LACTAMASE"
Mentor: Walter Fast, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Program:
Emily N. Hilz, Dennis Wiley, Ellyzabeth Morales-Ledesma, Swati Bhamidipati, Andrea C. Gore, Ph.D.
"INTERGENERATIONAL NEUROBEHAVIORAL IMPACT OF PCB EXPOSURE: STRUCTURAL AND MOLECULAR INSIGHTS IN DOPAMINERGIC PATHWAYS"
Mentor: Andrea C. Gore, Ph.D.
Resident Program:
Carrie A. Freed, Elizabeth O. Hand, Travis J. Carlson, Gerard W. Gawrys
"DURATION OF VANCOMYCIN AMONG PATIENTS WITH BLOOD CULTURES POSITIVE FOR COAGULASE-NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCUS SPECIES"
Mentor: Gerard W. Gawrys
Research Scientist:
Louise M. Ince, Jeffrey S. Darling, Kevin Sanchez, Kiersten S. Bell, Jennifer K. Melbourne, Lourdes K. Davis, Kimberly Nixon, Ph.D., Andrew D. Gaudet, Laura Fonken, Ph.D.
"SEX DIFFERENCES IN MICROGLIA FUNCTION IN AGED RATS UNDERLIE VULNERABILITY TO COGNITIVE DECLINE
Mentor: Laura Fonken, Ph.D.
If you missed this event, please visit the Research Day website to access/download the PDF program that includes the event itinerary and listing of trainee abstract award speakers, the Keynote and Distinguished Faculty speakers and a complete listing of the abstracts (requires EID login).
A special thank you to all of the faculty, staff and participants who made Research Excellence Day possible, including its namesake "Cliff" Louis Littlefield.
