Each month, the editors of three of the ASPET journals choose their Highlighted Trainee Authors. These early-career scientists are recognized for their innovative research published in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Drug Metabolism and Disposition, and Molecular Pharmacology. This feature showcases selected young scientists, demonstrates what drives them, and reveals why pharmacology is important to them. This month we are featuring the December 2025 Highlighted Trainee Authors.
Harlie McKelvey
The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Harlie McKelvey is a 3rd year Neuroscience PhD candidate at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. McKelvey’s curiosity about how the brain works and how it influences behavior led her to study addiction and sleep. Seeing firsthand how limited current treatments are, particularly opioid withdrawal-related sleep disturbances, drove her desire to pursue research at the intersection of addiction, neuroscience, behavior, and pharmacology. Additionally, supportive mentors have played a major role in guiding her scientific development and inspiring her to pursue a career that combines curiosity with impact, especially when dealing with conditions as devastating and urgent as opioid use disorder.
When dependent people stop taking opioids, they don’t just feel sick, they also experience serious sleep problems which can last for a long time. Using a rat model of dependence and withdrawal, McKelvey’s research, “Spontaneous daily sleep disruptions associated with morphine dependence and withdrawal in rats,” focuses on understanding how repeated, spontaneous opioid withdrawal affects overall sleep architecture and brain activity during this time to help inform better treatment development. The goal is for this research to provide better tools in pursuit of long-term recovery.
McKelvey hopes that her research will shift the field toward recognizing withdrawal-related sleep disturbances as a meaningful pharmacological target. These symptoms are often overlooked, even though they have a huge impact on relapse risk. “I hope this work broadens what ‘treating withdrawal’ really means,” McKelvey shared.
The most exciting part has been finally seeing her data come together. Seeing clear physiological signatures, such as increase in gamma power, and reoccurring disturbances in sleep across repeated withdrawal days, reinforces the idea that we are uncovering changes that could lead to new treatment strategies.
For McKelvey, having her work published in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics is meaningful because ASPET journals have a strong reputation for rigorous pharmacology, and for highlighting research with clear translational relevance. “Having my work recognized in this community affirms the scientific value of my contributions and connects me to a broad network of pharmacologists working toward similar goals. It also represents an important milestone in my training as I work toward becoming an independent investigator.”
Tri Do, PharmD
Tri Do, PharmD, is a PhD candidate and Research Fellow at Vanderbilt University. His interest in how drugs act at the molecular level and how those interactions translate into clinical outcomes influenced his career path. Cardiac electrophysiology and the mechanisms of underlying arrhythmias motivated him to study ion channels and their pharmacology. Do credits the guidance of his mentors, who helped encourage his curiosity, challenged his thinking, supported his growth in pharmacology and biopsychical methods, and solidified his commitment to translational research.
Do’s published research, “Introduction of a Single Carboxylic Acid Converts the Cyclic Oligomeric Depsipeptide ent-Verticilide from an RyR2 Inhibitor to RyR2 Activator,” focuses on how drugs interact with proteins in the heart that control electrical activity, specifically ion channels. These channels regulate each heartbeat, and disturbances in their function can lead to dangerous arrhythmias. He studied how potential therapeutic compounds bind with and modulate these channels, and how the body absorbs, distributes, and clears these molecules.
“I hope my research will deepen our understanding of how small molecules interact with ion channels and how these interactions shape both therapeutic effects and safety profiles,” he shared. The goal is that this work will inform drug development pipelines and contribute to translating novel ideas into clinically meaningful therapies.
Being published in Molecular Pharmacology is a meaningful milestone for Do’s career. “Having my work recognized in this community validates the significance of my research and motivates me to keep contributing to the advancement of the field.” For Do, the most rewarding aspect has been uncovering how new mechanistic insights into certain molecules interact with ryanodine receptors and other cardiac ion channels. “It’s fulfilling to see how fundamental scientific questions can directly inform strategies for developing new drugs with improved safety and efficacy.”
Tri Do, PharmD
Drug Metabolism and Disposition
Raeanne Lanphier is a 4th year PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Lanphier has always had a strong interest in biochemistry and translational science. As an undergraduate, she was introduced to drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) during an internship. The opportunity to work as a metabolite identification scientist at Boehringer Ingelheim launched her career and allowed her to work with scientists who provided exceptional mentorship and support. At UNC-Chapel Hill, Lanphier conducts her thesis work in Dr. Klarissa Jackson’s lab.
Lanphier’s article, “N-acetyltransferase (NAT) 1 and NAT2 enzyme activities drive interindividual variability in sulfamethoxazole N-acetylation,” focuses on understanding why a small number of patients develop unpredictable liver injury from the common antibiotic sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. She studies how the drug is metabolized in the liver and how certain reactive metabolites and patient-specific factors may contribute to this rare but serious adverse reaction.
“I hope my research will help strengthen the tools we use to predict and understand drug-induced liver injury, particularly for older therapeutics where safety gaps remain,” she shared. “By refining mechanistic insights and improving in vitro models, I aim to contribute to more reliable risk assessment and ultimately safer, more effective therapies for patients.”
Lanphier’s favorite part of the research process is liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method development and data analysis. For her, it’s rewarding to see the outcomes of an experiment appear as chromatographic peaks that can be translated into results.
Publishing her first paper in Drug Metabolism and Disposition “affirms the strength of my research and allows me to contribute to the scientific community.” After graduation, Lanphier plans to return to industry at the intersection of DMPK and safety, using mechanistic insights and advanced in vitro models to help guide decision making and reduce the risk of adverse drug reactions in patients.