Three Emerging Scholars Honored with McGlone Research Award

Media Contact: Lindsay Groth, Director of Marketing and Communications, [email protected]

We are excited to celebrate the three winners of the McGlone Research Award! At our annual Research Forum held in early February, 82 students and postdocs presented posters to 34 faculty and peer review teams and 350+ community members.

Each year, this day showcases discovery and advancements in knowledge from our PharmD and Bachelor of Science students and postdoctoral fellows, highlighted in a research poster exhibition.

Three PharmD students were nominated for the Kristen L. McGlone Research Award, which recognizes exceptional student-led research within the College. The award, named in memory of Kristen McGlone, PharmD’06, was established by her family, friends, and classmates.

The research posters presented by the nominees were evaluated by faculty and peers after the event, and winners were selected and announced on February 19, 2024. Three fourth-year PharmD students won the 2024 Kristen L. McGlone Research Award.

They are (listed in alphabetical order):

Kimberly Bottenberg, with a poster presentation entitled “Evaluating the impact of the 2016 CDC opioid guidelines and socio-demographic characteristics on concurrent benzodiazepine and opioid use between 2013 and 2018.” Advisor: Corey Lester

Bottenberg studied differences in use of these substances before and after adoption of new CDC opioid use guidelines published in 2016 in response to sharply rising overdose and mortality rates. She found that use of high-dose opioids alone and concurrent with benzodiazepine did not change between 2013 and 2018, suggesting the need for further education for patients and providers on the risks and benefits of these substances, focused interventions to prevent concurrent use, and collaboration to optimize treatment.

Elizabeth Mroczka, with a poster presentation entitled “Assessment of Evidence-based Dosing Strategy to Achieve Vancomycin Area Under the Curve Targets in Pediatric Patients.” Advisor: Kristin Klein

Her work compared outcomes after a change in dosing and monitoring pediatric patients with infections. Her work suggests that the new method adopted at Michigan Medicine in 2022 may lead to a lower incidence of acute kidney injury without lowering efficacy of the antibiotic.

Nhi TranHuynh, with a poster presentation on “Clinical Outcomes of Condensed Versus Standard Schedule High-Dose Cytarabine in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.” Advisor: Lydia Benitez

TranHuynh compared outcomes of a change in treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with high-dose cytarabine on three consecutive days rather than on intermittent days. Her study validated the beneficial outcomes of the condensed treatment, which resulted in a shorter hospital stay, faster hematologic recovery, less cycle delays, and fewer patients having unplanned hospital admissions, emergency visits, and adverse events, compared to the previous standard treatment regime.

Congratulations to the award winners, and thank you to all who presented, attended, and helped make the 2024 Research Forum event a success.

About the College

The University of Michigan College of Pharmacy has been leading at pharmacy’s edge for 150 years. The first and oldest pharmacy school at a state university, the College — currently ranked #2 in the nation — has and continues to shape education in the field. Its faculty are internationally recognized and are innovators in drug discovery, development and delivery, precision pharmacotherapy, outcomes research and clinical practice. More than 5,000 alumni are enhancing patient care and outcomes at the bench to the bedside, in boardrooms and communities, government agencies, and within healthcare companies.