Author: [AUTHOR] Published on 9/30/2021 10:15:00 AM

Mai Mehanna, Graduate Student, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

What Professional Accomplishment Are You Most Proud Of?
As clinical pharmacologists, we usually have great opportunities that allow us to have a significant positive impact on patients’ lives. During my master's and PhD training, I am proud that I have had the opportunity to work on translational research projects, where I was able to publish their findings. This work highlights the potential and promising role of measuring plasma renin activity biomarker in the clinical setting to predict blood pressure response to antihypertensive medications. Implementation of the individualized treatment recommendations based on that biomarker can guide clinicians on selecting the most appropriate antihypertensive therapy for each individual patient. This is expected to improve blood pressure control and quality of life of hypertensive patients.

Do You Have a Favorite Tip or Trick for Clinical Practice or Research That You Want to Share With Fellow Members?
My favorite tip that I want to share with my fellow members is to follow your passion, do what you love, and choose the field that you are most interested in, and that is always motivating you. As said by John Ruskin, “When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.” Doing what you love, especially when you have the skills to effectively do that would give you the energy and inspiration to achieve more in your research or in clinical practice. Another tip is to follow your curiosity. In the field of research, we are always faced with many interesting questions that we are curious about. Trying to answer those questions using well-designed studies might lead to great discoveries and better understanding of some biological processes that have never been explored.

When You Aren’t Working, How Do You Spend Your Free Time?
When I have some free time, I enjoy spending some quality time with my one-year-old daughter, reading books, drawing, painting, and doing puzzles.

How Do You Keep Focused and Motivated?
I keep focused and motivated when I am working on research projects that are exciting and interesting for me. Also, a better understanding of the purpose behind what I am doing and setting specific goals keeps me more focused and motivated.

What Was Your Childhood Dream Job?
My main childhood hobby was drawing and painting so my dream job at that time was to become a painter. However, when I entered high school, my vision started to completely change, especially since I loved science. I started to think more about becoming a pharmacist since I was so interested in learning how the medications we usually take work inside our body.

Mai Mehanna has been a member of ASCPT since 2020.