CRS attends the 18th Annual Lewis Landsberg Research Day
Since 2004, The Lewis Landsberg Research Day at Northwestern University allows students and faculty associated with the Feinberg School of Medicine to showcase innovative research projects, hear from distinguished visiting researchers, and participate in poster competitions. The research day is named after former Emeritus Dean Dr. Lewis Landsberg, who served as a research pioneer in the fields of metabolism regulation, the sympathetic nervous system, and obesity. On September 12th, 2024, the Feinberg School of Medicine held the 18th annual Lewis Landsberg Research day, featuring over 400 presenters across a variety of clinical and basic research topics.
Amongst the hundreds of presenters at the Research Day, more than 15 CRS trainees presented posters on research topics ranging from testicular organoid modeling as a fertility preservation model to profiling unique inflammatory cells in the aging ovarian environment. CRS trainees offered a unique perspective to the Northwestern Medicine research landscape, to which PhD student Gabby Berniac (Laronda Lab) noted that she was “excited to bring bioengineering to the greater field of reproductive science.” Additionally, Laronda Lab graduate trainees, Hana Kubo and Anika Schipma, and undergraduate trainee and Marcia Storch Scholarship recipient, Shravya Pant, presented their work at the research day. Harun Cingoz, Kim Lab, was also able to showcase his up and coming discoveries. Furthermore, a large Duncan Lab contingent was on hand to present there work, with research professor, Aubrey Converse, PhD, postdoctoral scholars and research scientists, Hannes Campo, PhD, Alisha Ramos, PhD, Jeffrey Pea, PhD, and Tomiris Atazhanova, MD, Pooja Devrukhkar, MS, graduate trainees Lauren Haky, Prianka Hashim, Anna Heinrich, Caroline Kratka, Emily Zaniker and Maddie Perry all presenting their science.
The Lewis Landsberg Research Day Awards were selected in both basic science and clinical research categories, and special awards were offered for excellence in women’s health research. Recipient of the Award for Excellence in Women’s Health Research in Basic Science was Natalie Obrochta, whose poster was titled “Targeting MEIS2 in platinum resistance ovarian cancer.” Recipient of the Award for Excellence in Women’s Health Research in Clinical and Public Health Research was Preeta Kamat, presenting her work, “Tiktok, cycle tracking, and #tryingtoconceive: A video content analysis of at-home urinary hormone monitors on social media.
Highlights of the Research Day further included recognition of mentors and faculty who have made an impact on the Northwestern University and Northwestern Medicine community. The 2024 Medical Faculty Council Mentors of the Year were Alan Hauser, MD, PhD and Scott Budinger, MD and the Tripartite Legacy Faculty Prize was also awarded to Hauser. Upon receiving his award, Hauser shared that “by mentoring, we can exponentially improve our impact in research,” highlighting the value of mentorship through the investigative research process.
The Keynote speech at this year’s annual research day was given by Dr. Fiona Watt, PhD. Dr. Watt is the acting director for the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, where her lab utilizes mammalian skin as a model system to understand how the differentiated state of adult tissues is maintained. During her talk entitled “Understanding Cellular Heterogeneity in the Skin”, Dr. Watt discussed the role of non-dividing keratinocytes in cancer development, highlighting work that indicates a key role of Caspase 8 in the development of serous cell carcinoma of the mouth.
The Lewis Landsberg Research Day at Northwestern engaged the Northwestern Medicine and Research communities including our CRS multidisciplinary scientists to share, learn, and investigate ongoing projects at the University, fostering continued growth, collaboration and innovation within the medical sciences.