The retreat will include oral presentations from our T32 current trainees, faculty talks, and poster presentations by research staff and trainees at all levels. Prizes will be awarded for the top oral and poster presentations. The retreat is an important component of our T32 Training Grant.
Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.
We look forward to gathering to celebrate research from multiple laboratories!
Stefan Strack, PhD and Dave Roman, PhD
Co-Directors, Pharamcological Sciences Training Program
Agenda
Time | Topic | Location |
---|---|---|
8:00 - 8:50 AM | Registration and Poster setup Continental Breakfast | CPB 1st floor |
8:50 AM | Welcome and Opening Remarks: Stefan Strack, PhD, Co-Director of T32 | CPB 210 |
9:00 - 10:00 AM | Short Talk Presentations by T32 Trainees (8-minute talks + 2 minutes Q&A) | CPB 210 |
9:00 - 9:10 AM | Ben Kelvington, Pharmacology Graduate Program Mentor: Ted Abel, PhD A mass spectrometry approach to examine histone modifications in a mouse model for neurodevelopmental disorder | |
9:10 - 9:20 AM | Samantha Pierson, Neuroscience Graduate Program Mentor: Catherine Marcinkiewcz, PhD The role of brainstem tau pathology in Alzheimer's Disease | |
9:20 - 9:30 AM | Nathan Witmer, Molecular Medicine Graduate Program Mentor: Ryan Boudreau, PhD Identification and Characterization of Novel Cardiac Microproteins | |
9:30 - 9:40 AM | Miriam McDonough, Molecular Medicine Graduate Program Mentor: Jon Resch, PhD Characterization of HSD2 neuron activity in response to aldosterone and sodium ingestion in vivo | |
9:40 - 9:50 AM | Connor Laule, Pharmacology Graduate Program Co-Mentors: Kamal Rahmouni, PhD / Deniz Atasoy, PhD Brainstem BBSome Regulates Glucose Metabolism and High Fat Diet Sensitivity | |
9:50 - 10:00 AM | Alex Glebov-McCloud, Molecular Medicine Graduate Program Mentor: Stefan Strack, PhD Characterization of PRKAR1B Mutations Associated with Disorders of the Central Nervous System | |
10:00 - 10:10 AM | Josh Lingo, Cancer Biology Graduate Program Mentor: Dawn Quelle, PhD CDK4/6 targeted therapy sensitizes MPNSTs to Immune Checkpoint Blockades | |
10:10 - 10:30 AM | Break & Group Photo | CPB 1st Floor |
10:30 - 12:30 PM | Poster Session - Viewing/Judging | CPB 1st Floor |
10:30 - 11:30 PM | Odd numbered posters present | |
11:30 - 12:30 PM | Even numbered posters present | |
12:30 - 2:00 PM | Lunch | CPB Courtyard & 1st Floor |
1:00 - 1:50 PM | Exploring Future Careers with T32 Trainee Alumni and a former Pharmacology Graduate Student Jordan Kohlmeyer, PhD, Synthetic Biology Application Scientist Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), Coralville, IA Yujia (Jennie) Liu, PhD, Research Scientist TriSalus, Denver, CO Eden Maack, PhD, Associate Editor i3 Health, St. Paul, MN Nolan Mente, PhD, Lead Chemist Engineering & Data Science, Cargill, Eddyville, IA Caitlin Runne, PhD, Chief Academic Officer Science Interactive Group, New York City Metropolitan Area Alicia Salvi, PhD, Senior Scientist Zoetis, Inc., Lincoln, NE Andrew Spracklen, PhD, Lecturer Dept of Biology, Univ of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA | CPB 210 |
2:00 - 2:45 PM | Keynote Speaker (35 minute talk + 10 minute Q&A) Ruben Dagda, PhD, Associate Professor Dept of Pharmacology, Univ of Nevada Role of PINK1 in neuronal development and synaptic plasticity: implications to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's | CPB 210 |
2:45 - 3:30 PM | Faculty Short Talks (12-minute talks + 3 minutes Q&A) | CPB 210 |
2:45 - 3:00 PM | Marie Gaine, PhD, Assistant Professor Pharmaceutical Sciences & Experimental Therapeutics Immune dysregulation in bipolar disorder | Wayne A/B |
3:00 - 3:15 PM | Stephanie Gantz, PhD, Assistant Professor Molecular Physiology & Biophysics The Fourth Member of the Ionotropic Glutamate Receptor Family | Wayne A/B |
3:15 - 3:30 PM | Lilliana Radoshevich, PhD, Assistant Professor Microbiology & Immunology Mapping the Role of Understudied Ubiquitin-Like Proteins in Infection and Disease | |
3:30 - 3:45 PM | Awards Announcement and Closing Remarks | Wayne A/B |
Keynote Speaker
Ruben Dagda, PhD
Role of PINK1 in neuronal development and synpatic plasticity: implications to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
Ruben K. Dagda, Ph.D. received his doctoral training at the University of Iowa under the tutelage of Dr. Stefan Strack and his postdoctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Charleen Chu. As an associate professor the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Dr. Dagda is currently investigating the molecular mechanisms that lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in cell culture, tissue and animal models of Parkinson's disease.
He has authored in over 57 research manuscripts and review articles in the areas of toxicology, toxinology, mitochondrial function, neurodegeneration and neurobiology. At the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, he is committed to the training and education of undergraduate, graduate students and postdocs in his lab. His main research goals are to elucidate the prosurvival signaling pathways that regulate mitochondrial function, transport and turn-over in neurons and how aging and neurodegenerative diseases negatively impact these physiological processes. With the support of an NIH/R01 grant, Dr. Dagda’s research group is currently investigating how the PTEN-induced Kinase 1 (PINK1) interacts with Protein Kinase A in subcellular compartments in neurons to regulate synaptic plasticity, neuronal survival and mitochondrial function, and how disruption in this neuroprotective signaling axis contributes to both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease pathology. The end goal is to develop novel small molecular drugs that can reverse neurodegeneration and elevate mitochondrial function in age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

2022 Awardees
Congratulations to our 2022 Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Retreat Awardees

From left: Oral Presentation Winner: Josh Lingo (Grad Student, D. Quelle lab), Grad Student Poster Winners: Cierra Boyer
(S. Stephens lab), Nathan Witmer (R. Boudreau lab), Mackenzie Spicer (R. Fisher lab), Research Staff Winner: Deng Guo (Rahmouni lab), Undergrad Students: Younes Rouabhi (Rahmouni lab), Daniel Fu (Fisher lab). Not pictured: Postdoc Winner Kristin Claflin (Potthoff lab)