Cristina Magi-Galluzzi, M.D., Ph.D.Members from the UAB Department of Pathology gathered on November 6 in the Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building to celebrate a variety of research efforts ongoing in the department. More than 120 faculty, staff, trainees, and students registered to take part in the event.
The day-long retreat began with welcoming remarks from Cristina Magi-Galluzzi, M.D., Ph.D., Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair in Pathology, and Selvarangan Ponnazhagan, Ph.D., Vice Chair for Research, Jay M. McDonald, M.D., Endowed Chair in Laboratory Medicine.
Selvarangan Ponnazhagan, Ph.D.
Faculty from each division presented translational research focused talks. C. Ryan Miller, M.D., Ph.D., Vishnu B. Reddy Translational Research Endowed Professor, Neuropathology Division Director, gave the talk titled “Probing the Glioblastoma Kinome.”
Taru S. Dutt, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Laboratory Medicine, presented the talk titled “Decoding Protective Immunity in Tuberculosis: From Antigens to Immune Architecture.”
Han-Fei Ding, Ph.D., Gene P. Siegal Endowed Professor, Molecular and Cellular Pathology, presented the talk titled "Amino Acid Composition as a Code for Selective Translation."
Mythreye Karthikeyan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Molecular & Cellular Pathology, presented the talk titled "Permission to progress: Ovarian cancer in an aging host."
Following the poster viewing session, the highest scoring abstracts by trainees in predoctoral, postdoctoral, research and resident/fellow categories presented oral presentations. For the Data Blitz presentations, predoctoral student Melika Razavi Hashemi presented “Collagen I–Mediated Astrocyte Reactivity Supports Glioblastoma Invasion” and postdoctoral student Chae-Myeong (Jenna) Ha presented “Loss of PDK2 and PDK4 Reveals Distinct Roles in Physiological and Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy.” Natalie Gassman, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Molecular & Cellular Pathology, moderated the session.
David G. Standeart, M.D., Ph.D.For the 15-minute presentations, predoctoral student Duyen Tran presented “KDM5C Drives Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Switching Through H3K4 Demethylation.”
Postdoctoral student Mahendra Kashyap presented “Iron-driven macrophage dysfunction promotes invasive pulmonary aspergillosis through MLKL-dependent necroptosis” and Resident Alexandra Wilson presented “The Joys and Agonies of Pain Management Patient Testing.” Craig Maynard, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Molecular & Cellular Pathology, moderated the session.
The keynote lecture was delivered by David G. Standeart, M.D., Ph.D., UAB Vice President for Research, Professor of Neurology, titled “Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Parkinson’s Disease.”
The day closed with awards presented to first and second place poster winners in predoctoral, postdoctoral, research and resident/fellow categories:
Predoctoral Fellows
Ian Miranda – First Place
Melika Razavi Hashemi – Tied for Second Place
Jung-Shan Hsu – Tied for Second Place
Postdoctoral Fellows
Md Mostafizur Rahman – First Place
Prachi Bajpai – Second Place
Residents/Fellows
Alexandra Wilson – First Place
