See where our faculty and students are presenting at BMES 2026, and learn about BME at UAB.
Faculty, trainees, and students will contribute to talks, presentations, and poster sessions that highlight UAB’s impact in imaging, tissue engineering, biomechanics, and biomedical data science. Their work demonstrats how UAB advanced healthcare through engineering innovation.
See the full schedule below of where UAB faculty and students will be throughout the weekend.
Faculty & Student Presentations
Thursday, October 22
8:30–10:00 a.m.
Magnolia 13 and 14
Session: Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering - I
Integration of Scaffold-Free Fibroblast Cell Sheets with Biomimetic Cardiac Tissue Chips for Cardiac Tissue Engineering
Starts at 9:45 AM
Presenter: Zachary Choi
10:00-11:00 a.m.
Cypress Ballroom
Poster Session A
Poster CC15 - Stromal Reprogra.m.ming Through RhoA/ROCK Signaling Drives a Pro-Tumorigenic Secretome and Enhances TNBC Invasion
Presenting Author: Shalarria Cooper
Authors: Vaishali Bala, MK Sewell-Loftin
Poster 78 – Nitric Oxide Releasing Bionanomatrix Gel Reduces Venous Intimal Hyperplasia and Improves Vascular Remodeling in Porcine Arteriovenous Fistula Model.
Presenting Author: Ho-Wook Jun
Authors: Nguyen Nguyen, Kevin Inglea, Patrick TJ. Hwang, Jun Chen, Jennifer A. Sherwood, Brigitta C. Brott, Timmy Lee
Poster FF8 - Dual-action Nanomatrix Coated Stent for Improving Endothelialization while Suppressing Restenosis and Inflammation.
Presenting Author: Robbie Cross
Authors: Jun Chen, Brigitta C. Brott, Jennifer Sherwood, Dr. Ho-Wook Jun.
Poster KK13 - Characterization of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (hiPSC)-Derived Kidney Organoids as a Platform to Assess Drug-Induced Nephrotoxicity
Presenting Author: Armaan Verma
1:15-2:45 p.m.
Magnolia 6
Mechanobiology in Cancer Metastasis
Session Chair: MK Sewell-Loftin
2:30–2:45 p.m.
Magnolia 11 and 12
Shear-Dependent Elongation of Endothelial von Willebrand Factor In-Situ Under Modulated Continuous Flow Ventricular Assist Device Conditions
Presenter: Javier Dominguez De Leon
3:45–5:15 p.m.
Orlando World Center Marriot, Orlando, FL 32821
KBMES Workshop
Ho-Wook Jun
6:30-9:00 p.m.
Bahama Breeze Grille
8735 Vineland Avenue, Orlando, FL 32821
KBMES Networking Dinner & Career Mentoring
($40 for PIs; $10 for Postdocs and Students)
Friday, October 23
8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
Boston
Workshop: Show, Try, Teach: High Impact Biomedical Engineering Classroom Activities You Can Implement Tomorrow
Ian Berg to give demo
8:30-8:45 a.m.
Magnolia 7 and 8
Biomaterial Models of Health and Disease Session - Three-layer Nanomatrox Vascular Sheets for High-Throughput Therapeutic Evaluation
Presenting Author: Anderson Duke
Authors: Jun Chen, Robbie Cross, Brigitta Brott, Dr. Ho-Wook Jun
10:00-11:00 a.m.
Cypress Ballroom
Poster Session C
Poster S15 - HDAC6 Activation and Nuclear HDAC Activity Are Regulated by Mechanical Forces
Presenting Author: Tori McKinley
Authors: Thomas Nguyen, MK Sewell-Loftin
2:00-2:15 p.m.
Magnolia 4 and 5
Mechanosensing in Cancer - Matrix Mechanosensing Diverges Between Species: Implications for TNBC Therapeutics
Presenting Author: MK Sewell-Loftin
Authors: Anna Bell-Jones, Connor Nguyen
2:15-2:30 p.m.
Canary 2
Mechanobiology in Cell and Tissue Engineering - Validation of Biochemical and Mechanical Activation of Mutant VEGFR-2 for Angiogenesis
Presenting Author: Eden Beasley-Duncan
Authors: Tori McKinley, MK Sewell-Loftin
4:30-4:45 p.m.
Magnolia 19 and 20
Immune Cell Engineering and Therapeutic Modulation - High-Dimensional Analysis of Immune Cell Glycosylation Across Diverse Tissue Environments
Presenting Author: Sukirty Khada
Authors: Juhi Samal
Saturday October 24
10:00-11:00 a.m.
Cypress Ballroom
Poster Session E
Poster I6 - ECM Strain Regulates Paclitaxel Response in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Presenting Author: Ashu Anand
Authors: Anna Bell-Jones, MK Sewell-Loftin
Poster N15 - Pediatric Pericardiocentesis Medical Manikin
Presenting Author: Lara Baez-Brogan
Authors: Allie Reinhart
Poster QQ13 - Creation of Visual and Tactile Representations of Tanner Stage Breast Development for Maturity Rating Exam Simulation
Presenting Author: Amelia Hunt
Authors: Eva German-Garcia, Ian Berg, Tim Wick, Christy Foster
Poster V6 - Modeling CKD-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction Using Human Cardiac Organoids
Presenting Author: Abhai Anand
UAB BME Highlights
- Nationally recognized research – Innovative biomedical engineering department.
- Strategic alignment with Heersink School of Medicine – Engineering and medicine working seamlessly together.
- Graduate, Undergraduate, and Certificate programs – Numerous degree paths with specialized training.
- Innovative Research Areas – Cutting-edge exploration across biomedical engineering fields.
- Advanced Research centers – Specialized hubs driving groundbreaking biomedical discoveries.
- Pioneering Scholars – Faculty leaders advancing knowledge and innovation.
- Student & research culture – Collaborative, supportive, and innovation-driven community.