Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Hosts Research Symposium
Raghu Kalluri, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of Cancer Biology at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Delivered Keynote Address
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The Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology hosted its second annual Research Symposium on February 23, welcoming Raghu Kalluri, M.D., Ph.D., chair of cancer biology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as keynote speaker. The day-long symposium featured oral presentations and poster presentations by students, residents, and trainees on a range of topics, including wound healing and pain response, assessment of bone marrow core biopsies at the bedside, ChatGPT as a diagnostic tool, machine teaching in pathology, and a test strategy to diagnosis pulmonary histoplasmosis.
Humayun Islam, M.D., Ph.D., clinical professor and chair of the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, opened the program by welcoming attendees. “This symposium serves as a platform to showcase individual contributions, ideas, and innovations, as well as a vehicle to learn from and be inspired by the diverse perspectives and expertise present here. The intellectual exchange that takes place here will contribute to the advancement of individual research projects and lead to the emergence of new avenues for exploration, discovery, and collaboration.”
During his keynote address, Dr. Kalluri spoke on the functional role of tissue damage regenerative response and tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer. Dr. Kalluri’s recent work on exosomes has led to new diagnostic and therapy approaches for pancreatic cancer. In 2015, his lab received widespread attention for a discovery that could lead to a blood test that detects pancreatic cancer at an early stage, before it spreads to other organs and becomes too difficult to treat.
The day concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing the best research projects. Award winners included:
Oral Presentation:
1st place: Nicole DeSouza, Ph.D. candidate
2nd place: Mia Camilliere, Ph.D. candidate
3rd place: Rahim Hirani, SOM Class of 2025, Ph.D. candidate
Poster Presentation:
Best Clinical Poster: Sayed Shahabuddin Hoseini, pathology resident, WMC
Best GSBMS/Post Doc Poster: Adiya Katseff, Ph.D. candidate
Best SOM Poster: Carolina Taico Oliva, SOM Class of 2026