Members from the UAB Department of Pathology gathered on November 5 in the Hill University Center to celebrate a variety of research efforts ongoing in the department in its 2024 Research Retreat. A total of 128 faculty, staff, trainees and students registered to take part in the event. 

The day-long retreat featured a packed agenda, including 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, Endowed Professor in Experimental Cancer Therapeutics.

Faculty from each division presented translational research-focused talks. Camilla Bell, M.Sc., Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, presented the talk, titled, "From bedside to bench: a translational approach to study chronic lung diseases." Shu Chen, Ph.D., Ona Faye-Petersen Endowed Professor, Division of Neuropathology, delivered the(l-r): Drs. Selvarangan Ponnazhagan, Shu Chen, Upender Manne, Cristina Magi-Galluzzi, Sixto Leal and Camilla Bell talk, "Biomarkers of Neurodegenerative Disease: Progress and Opportunities."

Sixto Leal, M.D., Ph.D., Division Director, Laboratory Medicine, Director, SEBLAB, Fungal Reference Laboratory, gave the talk, titled, "Nutritional Immunity in Post-Viral Secondary Mold Infections." Upender Manne, Ph.D., M.S., a professor in the Division of Anatomic Pathology, delivered the talk, "Transforming Pathology: Leveraging Cutting-Edge Technologies for Translational Impact."

Eason Hildreth, D.V.M., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cellular Pathology, delivered the afternoon talk, "Evaluation of the role of PU.1 in renal cell carcinoma progression" followed by the talk by Jianhua Zhang, Ph.D., Professor, Molecular and Cellular Pathology, titled, "Mitochondria in Alzheimer's disease." The highest scoring abstracts by trainees in predoctoral, postdoctoral, research and resident/fellow categories delivered oral presentations. These include Ezgi Sari, Anupam Raina, Ph.D., Asha Kumar, Ph.D., and Amy Theriault, D.O.

The keynote lecture was delivered by Anupam Agarwal, M.D., Senior Vice President for Medicine and Dean, Heersink School of Medicine, titled, "Shaping the future of medicine, science & health in Alabama and beyond."

The day closed with awards presented to poster winners and runner-ups in predoctoral, postdoctoral, research and resident/fellow categories:

Predoctoral Fellows

(Tied for first)
Sophia Dunlap
Caitlyn Harvey

Postdoctoral Fellows

(Tied for first)
Sini Sunny, Ph.D.
Ricardo Cevallos, Ph.D.

Researchers

Anamika Gupta, Ph.D. - Winner
Asha Kumari, Ph.D. - Runner-up

Residents/Fellows

Amy Theriault, D.O. - Winner
Chiamaka Umah, M.D. - Runner-up

"This was a wonderful opportunity for our researchers to gather and share their latest works," said Christa Morris, Administrative Supervisor, Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Neuropathology, Forensics. "We're already looking forward to next year's retreat."