Scholarship on Display: Showcase Features Student Research

Thirty teams of students from the Worcester and Manchester campuses presented their work at the annual event.

Students and faculty gathered at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) Worcester campus on April 10 for the Research & Scholarship Showcase. Held every spring, the event celebrates the work of undergraduate and graduate students, professional students, postgraduate residents, and fellows. The Center for Research and Discovery, which coordinates research activities across the University, sponsored the event.

“Your willingness to foster conversations and collaborations through your research and scholarship lays the foundation for the University’s mission of advancing health science education, scholarship, and practice grounded in collaboration and community engagement,” said Anna Morin, PharmD, Associate Provost of MCPHS Worcester/Manchester.

Thirty teams of students presented posters to their peers and faculty at the event. The posters represented work from the School of Optometry, the School of Pharmacy—Worcester/Manchester, and the School of Physical Therapy. Students collaborated with faculty mentors on the projects to enhance their academic experience and explore career opportunities.

“Research is a vast landscape that allows students to explore all facets of their chosen profession,” said Matthew Metcalf, PharmD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and co-chair of the showcase’s planning committee. “Students who engage with research gain a better understanding of how their discipline started, where it is now, and how to create a future for it by advancing knowledge and educating others.”

Mariem Girgis, OD ’26, assisted with a national clinical trial evaluating new prism spectacles that expand the visual field for patients who lost half their field of vision due to traumatic brain injury. The Eye and Vision Center, under the direction of Dr. Kathryn Deliso, is an investigational site for the trial.

“Being involved in this study helped me realize that our job as optometrists is about improving quality of life for our patients,” she said. “It opened my eyes to the social aspect of optometry as we have been able to help patients regain some of their old hobbies and interests.”

Other projects focused on the communities surrounding the University. Olivia Langdon, PharmD ’26, worked with a group of students to develop a mental health awareness program for the young adult Latino community in Worcester.

“This project demonstrated how mental health issues are increasing, and we need to break the negative stigma around seeking help,” Langdon said. “It’s critical to understand the experiences of different groups of people to give them the care they need.”

This year’s showcase was also a competition. Faculty members evaluated research projects on several criteria, including scientific content, data visualization, and the students’ ability to answer questions.