Pharm Forum, a pharmaceutical sciences conference, has historically united graduate students, researchers, and faculty from across the Southern region to foster connections and enhance research skills. Building on the collaborative efforts of southern universities, the conference rotated locations to different college campuses every year, allowing students from different campuses to showcase their home institutions and cities, while engaging with their peers’ research.
After more than a decade of inactivity, this year researchers, graduate students, and faculty from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the University of Georgia, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the University of Mississippi, Nova Southeastern University, and High Point University visited the UT Health Science Center Campus from May 9-11, 2025, to participate in the conference, all thanks to the diligent efforts of the UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy graduate students and American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) student chapter. The work of these students culminated in the first Pharm Forum conference since 2011, bringing together the brightest minds in pharmaceutical sciences to ignite collaboration and innovation in a field poised for groundbreaking advancements in Memphis.
A Lost Conference Reemerges
Pharm Forum is a scientific conference dedicated to highlighting the innovative research of pharmaceutical science graduate students from the southeastern states. This event provides a dynamic platform for students to showcase their work through oral presentations, posters, and interactive discussions, while fostering collaboration among peers, faculty, and industry professionals. It promotes engagement in crucial areas such as Therapeutic Targets and Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Drug Discovery and Development, Pharmacometrics, Drug Delivery and Targeting, celebrating the creativity and dedication of emerging scientists. Additionally, Pharm Forum encourages professional growth and networking within the pharmaceutical community.
Prior to its hiatus, Pharm Forum was hosted by the AAPS Southern Research Discussion Group (SRDG), which was a regional discussion group locally branched from AAPS. The event served as a local meeting shared among UT Health Science Center, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the University of Mississippi.
Pharm Forum 2025 aimed to unite graduate students and faculty from pharmaceutical science programs across the Southeastern United States. “We believe this event serves as an excellent opportunity for students and faculty to exchange ideas, explore potential collaborations, and stay informed about the latest advancements in pharmaceutical sciences,” said Hassan Almoazen, PhD, associate professor and director of the Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD Program, who encouraged graduate students in the department to revive the conference. Dr. Almoazen was previously involved in the conference, helping to organize the Pharm Forum meetings at UT Health Science Center in 2007, 2011, and now in 2025.
Student-Led and Organized Conference
The conference was planned, managed, and organized solely by Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate students at UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy, led by the 2025 Pharm Forum Planning Committee Chair, graduate student, and AAPS Student Chapter Past-Chair Bhargavi Thalluri.
“Chairing Pharm Forum 2025 has been a truly enriching highlight of my PhD journey,” Thalluri said. “The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences not only fosters academic and scientific development, but also presents invaluable opportunities to grow as a leader. This experience allowed me to build on that foundation, strengthening my leadership, communication, teamwork, and event management skills. Leading this event was both exciting and a valuable learning experience, which helped me grow both personally and professionally.”
In addition to Thalluri, the conference planning committee included graduate students Masuma Akter Brishti (chair, AAPS student chapter), Ivy Antwi (vice-chair, AAPS student chapter), Thorben Kurzbach (chair-elect, AAPS student chapter), Fahad Bin Aziz Pavel, Hyunseo Park, Shelby Waddell, Ishita Kathuria, Elizabeth Twum, and Md Abdullah Al Mamun.
From the start of the process, where the vision was developed, to recruiting students from other colleges, inviting speakers, ordering food, and designing booklets and T-shirts with the Pharm Sci logo (designed by Pavel), the students embraced the challenges and triumphs with determination, culminating in a conference attended by nearly 100 people.
“Working closely with a team of nine talented and dedicated colleagues, I learned valuable lessons about collaboration and the importance of embracing diverse perspectives. One of the most significant skills I developed was learning how to navigate and balance differing opinions to move forward as a unified team,” Thalluri said.
Advances and Challenges in Drug Development
This year’s conference continued the legacy of excellence established by Pharm Forum in previous years. It featured esteemed leaders in Pharmaceutical Sciences, including Russell Weiner, PhD, president of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, a globally recognized leader in the biopharmaceutical field with more than 30 years of expertise in drug development, personalized medicine, regulated bioanalysis, and the development of biomarkers and companion diagnostic assays; Donghua Yin, PhD, an alumnus of the UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, now vice president and head of Clinical Pharmacology at Pfizer’s Oncology Division, an expert on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and their applications in facilitating efficient and quantitative drug development; and Aseem Ansari, PhD, chair of Chemical Biology & Therapeutics at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, an internationally recognized scientist who has contributed key insights into the chemical control of genes and has pioneered the field of “Transcription Therapy.”
Graduate students were also invited to participate in a poster presentation competition and a podium presentation competition, where they presented and defended their research to a panel of judges comprising experts in the field. The poster presentation winner was Amin Akbari Ahangar (graduate student, University of Mississippi), and first place in the podium presentation was awarded to Ramya Bandarupalli (PhD candidate at the University of Mississippi). Attendees also participated in job fairs, and networking events, including a networking event at Memphis Made on the Saturday of the conference.
“This experience has truly boosted my confidence to take on future leadership roles and projects of this scale,” Thalluri said. “Pharm Forum 2025 is something I will always cherish, not just for what we achieved, but for how it helped shape a better version of myself.”
Pharm Forum organizers expressed gratitude for the financial sponsorship from UT Health Science Center College of Graduate Health Sciences, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy, ThermoFisher Scientific, MedChemExpress, Agilent Technologies, and UT Health Science Center Alumni Association.
The Future of Pharm Forum
“The overall goal is to enhance collaboration, dialogue, networking, and knowledge sharing among graduate students, postdocs, and faculty in pharmaceutical sciences in the Southeastern U.S., thereby strengthening our connections within academic networks,” Dr. Almoazen said.
Pharm Forum 2025 marks a significant milestone in the revival of collaboration and innovation within the pharmaceutical sciences graduate student community in the southern U.S. This year’s conference not only showcased the remarkable research and talents of emerging scientists across the South, but also highlighted the unwavering dedication of graduate students who took the reins to revive this event after years of inactivity.