Innovative Research Highlighted at Conference

The Sarasota Memorial Research Institute and Florida State University College of Medicine held their first joint Interprofessional Research Conference at Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Sarasota campus in May.

The event, along with the groundbreaking of SMH’s new Research & Education Institute, reflects the local health system’s national reputation as a teaching hospital and expanding commitment to clinical research.

More than 150 health care professionals gathered to learn about innovative research projects and clinical studies led by multi-disciplinary specialists from across the region. The event featured dozens of individual and group poster and podium presentations by physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other clinicians and a keynote address by National Institutes of Health researcher Irshad Chaudry, PhD. A special panel at the event focused on research around social determinants of health.

SMH and FSU leaders also presented nine research and innovation awards at the conference, which was supported by a grant from the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation.

“The recipients of our inaugural awards are clinicians who demonstrate excellence in their respective specialties, as well as a deep commitment to collaborative practice and interprofessional research,” said James Fiorica, MD, chief medical officer for Sarasota Memorial. “Their individual efforts and collective influence are increasing our understanding of healthcare and advancing innovations that impact the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease.”

The 2023 award recipients are:

• SMH Distinguished Physician Research & Innovation Award – Beverly Long, MD
• SMH Distinguished Nurse Research & Innovation Award – Bridget Drafahl, PhD, C-ONQS, CNS, RN
• SMH Research & Innovation Excellence Award – Colleen Lindner, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
• SMH Distinguished Pharmacy Research & Innovation Award – Pamela Lewis, RPh
• SMH Pharmacy New Investigator Research Award – Jonathan Summerlin, PharmD
• FSU Emergency Medicine Resident Research Award – Emily Wheeler, MD
• FSU Emergency Medicine Distinguished Faculty Research Scholar Award – Sagar Galwankar, MBBS, MBA, MPH
• FSU Internal Medicine Resident Research Award – Stephanie Williams, MD
• FSU Internal Medicine Distinguished Faculty Research Scholar Award – Robert Smith, PhD