Oliver Grundmann, Ph.D., M.S., M.Ed., a clinical professor of medicinal chemistry, and Brian Cicali, a third-year graduate student, will represent the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in the American College of Clinical Pharmacology, or ACCP, Leadership Development Program. The pair were among five individuals accepted to the program based on their outstanding accomplishments among the clinical pharmacology community as well as their engagements within ACCP.
Grundmann first joined ACCP as a student member in 2006 and became a full member a year later. He has held many leadership positions within the organization, including election to the ACCP board of regents in 2020. He is also serving the organization as its secretary through 2022 and currently co-chairs the Education Committee and the 2022 ACCP Annual Meeting Programming Committee. His additional service roles include membership on the Strategic Planning Committee, the 2021 Annual Meeting Programming Committee and the Early-stage Professional Task Force.
“I hope the AACP Leadership Development Program will help me further develop a leadership style that embraces teamwork, while not losing sight of the end goal,” Grundmann said. “Being an effective leader will often require understanding my own limitations, along with my strengths, which I hope to better comprehend and navigate upon completion of the program.”
Cicali has established an accomplished track record of success early in his career. He has published 14 peer-reviewed manuscripts and secured one patent. He has received numerous research and publication awards, including a Distinguished Research fellowship from Stockton University and the Dr. Allen J. Speigel Endowed Graduate Fellowship and the Robert and Stephany Ruffolo Graduate Education and Research Fellowship from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy.
Cicali currently serves in multiple leadership roles within national and international organizations, including ACCP, the International Federation of Pharmaceuticals, the International Society of Pharmacometrics and the American Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. He has been a member of ACCP since 2018 and is active within ACCP’s national organization and the UF student chapter. He served as the vice-chair, chair and past-chair of the UF ACCP student chapter between 2019-21, as well as currently serving on the ACCP membership committee. He is an ACCP new member ambassador within the newly established ambassador program. He has attended and presented at ACCP annual meetings since 2019 and participates in reading and submitting to ACCP’s flagship journal, the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
“By participating in the ACCP Leadership Development Program, I hope to learn skills that will both make me a better leader and aid in my transition from a Ph.D. candidate to an early-career professional,” Cicali said. “I hope to achieve a greater understanding of good leadership qualities and how to apply these to my professional activities. By learning and applying the leadership skills obtained in this program, I believe I will be better equipped to not only be a great leader within my professional positions but also within service positions, such as future leadership roles within ACCP.”
As members of the ACCP Leadership Development Program, Grundmann and Cicali will be expected to participate in six months of activities ranging from self-driven leadership exercises to presentations on lessons learned. Program leaders will work with him to strengthen leadership skills and identify opportunities for achievement. ACCP will recognize Grundmann, Cicali and the other program participants at the 2022 ACCP Annual Meeting in Bethesda, Maryland.
Cicali’s advisor is Stephan Schmidt, Ph.D., F.C.P., the Certara Endowed Professor and director of the Center for Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology in the UF College of Pharmacy.