PharmD student wins Best Student Poster Award at ACCP Global Conference on Clinical Pharmacy

Zoom image: ACCP Best Student Poster ACCP Best Student Poster.

By Samantha Rzeszut

Published October 26, 2022

Autumn Spyhalsky, PharmD/MS’24, received the Best Student Poster Award for her poster titled Dynamics of Urinary Biomarkers to Detect Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill Children Receiving Vancomycin at the 2022 American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Global Conference on Clinical Pharmacy in San Francisco, CA. This is the second consecutive year a student from the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (UB SPPS) has received the Best Student Poster Award from ACCP.

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“Winning this award encourages me to continue seeking experiences within research that allow my curiosity in the practice of pharmacy to be dispersed and varied. It's an incredible recognition, and I am thankful beyond words to my mentors who helped me along the way. ”
Autumn Spyhalsky, PharmD/MS'24
University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Autumn Spyhalsky, PharmD/MS'24.

Autumn Spyhalsky, PharmD/MS'24

Spyhalsky and her research team examined the concentrations of novel urinary biomarkers in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) patients receiving vancomycin and compared concentrations across subjects with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and those without it.

The team found PICU patients with AKI had a significant difference in biomarker concentrations from baseline to peak values. They also found biomarker concentrations increased significantly more among patients with AKI during the first 72 hours of vancomycin treatment compared to those without it. This research aims to help clinicians employ early therapeutic modalities that will prevent further renal damage in PICU patients.

The coauthors on the research study included:

  • Se Jin Kim, PhD student, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Calvin Meaney, PharmD, clinical associate professor and vice chair for Research, Department of Pharmacy Practice
  • Nicholas Smith, PharmD, assistant professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice
  • Dhaval Shah, PhD, associate professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Nicholas Fusco, PharmD, clinical associate professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice

Spyhalsky presented her research as both a poster and a platform presentation and will receive a plaque along with an award to recognize her achievements. She also received the ACCP Pediatric Practice and Research Networks (PRN) Student Travel Award to partially support the cost of travel and attendance at the conference.

“Winning this award encourages me to continue seeking experiences within research that allow my curiosity in the practice of pharmacy to be dispersed and varied,” says Spyhalsky. “It's an incredible recognition, and I am thankful beyond words to my mentors who helped me along the way. I'd sincerely like to thank Dr. Fusco for taking his time to teach me insights of pediatric pharmacy, research and academia. I aspire to serve students in a similar manner as he exemplifies, one day.”

Spyhalsky hopes to publish a manuscript of this research in the future.

For over 135 years, the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has continually been a leader in the education of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists, renowned for innovation in clinical practice and research. The school is accredited by the American Council of Pharmaceutical Education and is the No. 1 ranked school of pharmacy in New York State and No. 14 in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.