ASHP-AFPE Pre-Doctoral Fellowship

AFPE will accept application proposals for research projects which focus on improving health outcomes in hospitals, health systems, and ambulatory care clinics. Applicants to this award who are not selected will automatically be considered for a Pre-Doctoral Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences. The same eligibility requirements and deadlines apply for both awards. Stipend: $20,000 The 2026-2027 AFPE-ASHP Fellow is Kayla Smith, University of Florida Title of Research: Integrating EHR, Pharmacy, and Claims Data to Advance Real-World Evaluation of GLP1-Receptor Agonists (GLP1-RAs) on Cardiometabolic Outcomes “Medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs), such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), tirzepatide (Mounjaro), and others, are now widely used to treat a variety of disease states including, but not limited to, diabetes, obesity, and sleep apnea. As a result, their use has expanded at an unprecedented pace, with millions of Americans now taking these therapies. However, because patients obtain GLP1-RA medications through diverse channels, including insurance-covered prescriptions, out-of-pocket purchases (cash fills), online pharmacies, and non-traditional dispensing routes, researchers can’t accurately identify who is truly using them. This uncertainty makes it difficult to evaluate the safety and efficacy of these medications in real world settings. My project seeks to address this challenge by integrating multiple sources of health information, i.e., electronic health records (EHR), insurance claims, and a national pharmacy fill database, to more reliably capture real-world patterns of GLP-1 medication use. The project has three key goals: 1. Evaluate the misclassification of exposure to GLP1-RAs using traditional exposure measurement approaches. I will quantify the extent to which existing data sources, such as insurance claims or EHR prescribing data, miss or misclassify true GLP1-RA use. 2. Describe real-world treatment patterns of GLP1-RA medication use. Using an optimized exposure measurement approach developed as part of Aim 1, I will examine how long patients remain on GLP1-RA medications, how consistently they adhere to these medications, and investigate reasons for discontinuation. I will also investigate how these treatment patterns change across different ages, racial and ethnic groups, clinical characteristics, and insurance types. 3. Assess GLP1-RAs impact on blood pressure. Given the high prevalence of hypertension among GLP1-RA users and evidence from randomized controlled trials demonstrating blood pressure-lowering effects, I will use real-world data to evaluate whether initiation of GLP1-RA therapy is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in blood pressure over time. Overall, this project will strengthen the accuracy of real-world evidence on GLP1-RA medications and support clinicians in identifying which patients are most likely to benefit from these therapies.” Past Recipients 2025-2026 – Andrew Mitchell, Ohio State University 2024-2025 – Brandon Lowe, University of Maryland, Baltimore 2023-2024 – Amna Rizvi-Toner, University of Michigan 2022-2023 – Madeline Brendle, University of Utah 2021-2022 – Abbie Leino, University of Michigan 2020-2021 – Summer Tran, University of Minnesota

AFPE will accept application proposals for research projects which focus on improving health outcomes in hospitals, health systems, and ambulatory care clinics. Applicants to this award who are not selected will automatically be considered for a Pre-Doctoral Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences. The same eligibility requirements and deadlines apply for both awards.

Stipend: $20,000

The 2026-2027 AFPE-ASHP Fellow is Kayla Smith, University of Florida

Title of Research: Integrating EHR, Pharmacy, and Claims Data to Advance Real-World Evaluation of GLP1-Receptor Agonists (GLP1-RAs) on Cardiometabolic Outcomes

“Medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs), such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), tirzepatide (Mounjaro), and others, are now widely used to treat a variety of disease states including, but not limited to, diabetes, obesity, and sleep apnea. As a result, their use has expanded at an unprecedented pace, with millions of Americans now taking these therapies. However, because patients obtain GLP1-RA medications through diverse channels, including insurance-covered prescriptions, out-of-pocket purchases (cash fills), online pharmacies, and non-traditional dispensing routes, researchers can’t accurately identify who is truly using them. This uncertainty makes it difficult to evaluate the safety and efficacy of these medications in real world settings.

My project seeks to address this challenge by integrating multiple sources of health information, i.e., electronic health records (EHR), insurance claims, and a national pharmacy fill database, to more reliably capture real-world patterns of GLP-1 medication use.

The project has three key goals:

1. Evaluate the misclassification of exposure to GLP1-RAs using traditional exposure measurement approaches.
I will quantify the extent to which existing data sources, such as insurance claims or EHR prescribing data, miss or misclassify true GLP1-RA use.

2. Describe real-world treatment patterns of GLP1-RA medication use.
Using an optimized exposure measurement approach developed as part of Aim 1, I will examine how long patients remain on GLP1-RA medications, how consistently they adhere to these medications, and investigate reasons for discontinuation. I will also investigate how these treatment patterns change across different ages, racial and ethnic groups, clinical characteristics, and insurance types.

3. Assess GLP1-RAs impact on blood pressure.
Given the high prevalence of hypertension among GLP1-RA users and evidence from randomized controlled trials demonstrating blood pressure-lowering effects, I will use real-world data to evaluate whether initiation of GLP1-RA therapy is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in blood pressure over time.

Overall, this project will strengthen the accuracy of real-world evidence on GLP1-RA medications and support clinicians in identifying which patients are most likely to benefit from these therapies.”

Past Recipients

2025-2026 – Andrew Mitchell, Ohio State University
2024-2025 – Brandon Lowe, University of Maryland, Baltimore
2023-2024 – Amna Rizvi-Toner, University of Michigan
2022-2023 – Madeline Brendle, University of Utah
2021-2022 – Abbie Leino, University of Michigan
2020-2021 – Summer Tran, University of Minnesota