{"id":237462,"date":"2025-11-03T08:00:40","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T13:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=237462"},"modified":"2025-11-02T13:06:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T18:06:08","slug":"uconn-pharmacy-student-receives-the-gateway-to-research-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/11\/uconn-pharmacy-student-receives-the-gateway-to-research-award\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Pharmacy Student Receives the Gateway to Research Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

In her second to last year\u00a0<\/span>at<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>UConn<\/span>\u00a0School of<\/span>\u00a0Pharmacy, Kayla Barca has\u00a0<\/span>built an impressive record of academic achievement and service<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>An out of state student from New Jersey, Kayla has\u00a0<\/span>made<\/span>\u00a0the Dean\u2019s List all five years\u00a0<\/span>of her time a<\/span>s a\u00a0<\/span>Husky and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>currently serves as the\u00a0<\/span>vice president of Rho Chi National Pharmacy Honor Society<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kayla\u2019s commitment to the\u00a0<\/span>School<\/span>\u00a0extends well beyond academics.<\/span>\u00a0As a<\/span>\u00a0School of Pharmacy<\/span>\u00a0ambassador<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0First Year Experience\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>mentor<\/span>, Kayla leads tours\u00a0<\/span>for<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>prospective students and their families and<\/span>\u00a0support<\/span>s new\u00a0<\/span>students\u00a0<\/span>as they begin their pharmacy studies<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>She\u00a0<\/span>also\u00a0<\/span>holds multiple leadership roles, including president of Alpha Zeta Omega,\u00a0<\/span>vice president of Rho Chi<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>president<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>\u00a0Phi Lamda Sigma Leadership Society, furthering her passions in pharmacy and leadership.\u00a0<\/span>Kayla is also the treasurer of the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP) and on the Student Health Fair Board, extending current he<\/span>alth-related issues and education to a wider audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Headshot
Headshot of Kayla Barca (UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite her busy schedule, Kayla has also\u00a0<\/span>curated<\/span>\u00a0a deep\u00a0<\/span>interest\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>biomedical\u00a0<\/span>research\u00a0<\/span>as a member of<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0Sartor<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>laboratory<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Her work focuses on understanding the biological mechanisms underlying substance use disorders and\u00a0<\/span>developing treatments to reverse the effects of addictive substances.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Kayla\u2019s AFPE-funded project investigates the anti-inflammatory effects of ketamine and its metabolites, with the goal of\u00a0<\/span>determining<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>how these compounds might re<\/span>duce opioid-induced neuroinflammation<\/span>. Neuroinflammation is a maladaptive consequence of opioid use that disrupts neural circuits and imped<\/span>es long-term recovery.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>By exploring thi<\/span>s underlying mechanism of opioid use disorder, such treatments have the potential to promote more lasting recovery outcomes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Kayla is\u00a0<\/span>particularly\u00a0<\/span>interested in\u00a0<\/span>this area\u00a0<\/span>because\u00a0<\/span>FDA<\/span>–<\/span>approved\u00a0<\/span>treatments for\u00a0<\/span>opioid use disorder do<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>not<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>currently address neuroinflammation\u00a0<\/span>or its lasting\u00a0<\/span>effects<\/span>\u00a0on the brain<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span><\/span>I hope to not only bring awareness to substance use disorders but also get people who are struggling the necessary care too.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

R<\/span>eflecting on\u00a0<\/span>experience at UConn<\/span>, Kayla is grateful for\u00a0<\/span>the opportunities she has found with the School of Pharmacy<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Working\u00a0<\/span>alongside her mentor,\u00a0<\/span>Sartor<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Ph.D. student\u00a0<\/span>Michael Lehane,\u00a0<\/span>she has been able to strengthen her confidence as a researcher and expand her scientific interests through their guidance and collaboration.\u00a0<\/span>Kayla also recognizes<\/span>\u00a0fellow Pharm.D. student<\/span>\u00a0Dominic<\/span>k<\/span>\u00a0Garcia, who<\/span>se dedication and hard work<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>continue<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to advance<\/span>\u00a0th<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0lab\u2019s research.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKayla\u2019s curiosity, determination, and scientific rigor have been remarkable to\u00a0<\/span>witness,” Gregory Sartor adds.<\/span> “Her project not only\u00a0<\/span>represents<\/span>\u00a0the high caliber of research conducted by our Pharm.D. students but also aligns perfectly with the mission of UConn\u2019s newly\u00a0<\/span>established <\/span><\/span>Center for Addiction Science and Innovation (CASI).<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0We are\u00a0<\/span>very proud<\/span>\u00a0of Kayla and all that she has\u00a0<\/span>accomplished<\/span>!\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kayla is honored to receive the Gateway to Research Award\u00a0and is grateful AFPE chose her research project as one of\u00a0great importance\u00a0and impact. Bringing awareness to UConn Pharmacy as a\u00a0whole and\u00a0providing Kayla with financial compensation that will advance her work,\u00a0AFPE has furthered\u00a0impactful research\u00a0on\u00a0community health issues like substance\u00a0use disorders.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m honored that the AFPE\u00a0recognized the value of my proposal\u00a0and\u00a0felt\u00a0it was something worth supporting.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Encouraging other pharmacy students to join research labs and find their passions, Kayla emphasizes how easy\u00a0the process is,\u00a0by\u00a0connecting\u00a0with\u00a0graduate student researchers\u00a0or by\u00a0directly contacting\u00a0faculty members\u00a0in\u00a0the School of Pharmacy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Going\u00a0above and beyond\u00a0in her classes, extracurriculars, and research pursuits, Kayla has excelled as a Husky and will continue to make\u00a0the\u00a0UConn\u00a0School of\u00a0Pharmacy proud.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kayla Barca, a fifth-year Pharm.D. student, has received the Gateway Award from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE) for her research in opioid use disorder. With the support of her mentor, Gregory Sartor (Ph.D.), Kayla has excelled both in the classroom and laboratory, evidenced by this prestigious award. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":221,"featured_media":237464,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1864],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2644],"class_list":["post-237462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pharm"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-09 20:13:51","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/221"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237462"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":237467,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237462\/revisions\/237467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/237464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237462"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=237462"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=237462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}