The UAB Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine hosted its 2nd Annual Vanderbilt University-UAB Pulmonary Research Summit on June 24 and 25. This summit, held in downtown Birmingham, provided a collaborative environment for over 100 researchers, clinicians, fellows, and students from Vanderbilt University and UAB to present and discuss a variety of pulmonary medicine research topics.

  

The summit was divided into smaller talks and sessions, each focused on a unique aspect of pulmonary medicine. The scientific session on the 24th was focused on this year’s highlights in pulmonary research from both institutions. James Kiley, PhD, the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) delivered an invigorating keynote speech for this session. Dr. Kiley spoke on the NHLBI’s strategic vision for ongoing and future pulmonary research. This was followed by a well-attended poster session focused on pulmonary research. Timothy Blackwell, MD, chair of the Pulmonary Division of Vanderbilt University spoke at the summit, highlighting the important steps and strategies for building a successful medical research career.

 

The scientific sessions on second day of the summit included talks on matrix biology, fibrosis, cancer, airway diseases, and the mechanisms of metabolism and oxidative stress and their implications on critical care medicine. These annual research summits represent emerging pathways for fruitful collaborations in pulmonary research between the two institutions.