36th Annual Graduate Student Research Forum Brings Together Researchers and Scholars

The Forum served as an opportunity for students to showcase their research and engage in meaningful discussions with peers and faculty. Through oral presentations and a poster session, participants shared their findings, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange within the New York Medical College community. Leading the event as master of ceremonies was Comfort Williams, a candidate in the Integrated Ph.D. Program.

A highlight of the Forum was the keynote address by Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis, Ph.D., a professor at Weill Cornell Medicine and chair of the Developmental Biology Program at the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research. In her presentation, “Integrating Imaging with Single-Cell Genomics to Map Cell Identities in 3D in the Embryo.” Dr. Hadjantonakis explored how advanced imaging and genomics techniques can reveal the intricate processes of embryonic development. Her research sheds light on how cells form complex structures, offering valuable insights into cellular behavior and developmental biology.

The Forum featured a wide range of student research, reflecting the breadth of scientific inquiry at GSBMS—from the power of lifestyle in modulating neuroplasticity and cognitive function to the role of the long non-coding RNA LINC01614 in promoting ferroptosis resistance in papillary thyroid cancer. Students from Dominican University’s STEM-focused BLAST program visited the College to gain insight into pursuing advanced degrees and to contemplate their academic and professional goals, and visited the lab of Victor Garcia, Ph.D. ’15, associate professor of pharmacology. As the event concluded, it reinforced a spirit of discovery and collaboration, inspiring students and researchers to continue pushing the boundaries of scientific exploration. 

36th Annual Graduate Student Research Forum Results

Flash Talks

First Place (tie): Grace Solomon
Faculty Advisor: Julie S. Di Martino, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell biology and anatomy

First Place (tie): Kamya Shah
The Power of Lifestyle in Modulating Neuroplasticity and Cognitive Function
Faculty Advisor: Libor Velíšek, M.D., Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy and of neurology and pediatrics

Second Place: Jeramaine Cail
Maternal Serum Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCy) as a Biomarker and Pathogenic Factor in Placenta-Mediated Pregnancy Complications
Faculty Advisors: John Pinto, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and of medicine, and Elizabeth Berry, Ph.D. ’23, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology

Oral Presentations

First Place: Danielle Diegisser
Preventing and Reversing Obesity Via GPR75 Blockade: A Path to Metabolic Health and Organ Integrity
Faculty Advisor: Victor Garcia, Ph.D. ’15, associate professor of pharmacology

Second Place: Nicole DeSouza
Long Non-Coding RNA DUXAP10 Regulates Mediators of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer
Faculty Advisors: Jan Geliebter, Ph.D., professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology and associate professor of otolaryngology, and Raj K. Tiwari, Ph.D., professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology and associate professor of otolaryngology

Third Place: Rahim Hirani
Targeting Il-1 Signaling in Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa: Improved Survival and Delayed Pathogenesis in a Mouse Model
Faculty Advisor: Mitchell S. Cairo, M.D., professor of pediatrics, medicine, of cell biology and anatomy, and of pathology, microbiology and immunology

Platform Award: Rachel Mund
Novel Role of the EBV-Encoded Deubiquitinating Enzyme (BPLF1) in mTOR-Mediated Cell Growth and Proliferation Pathways
Faculty Advisor: Christopher Whitehurst, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology and of biochemistry and molecular biology

Platform Award: Kayla Vieira
AN2-73 Suppresses Spasms and Hypsarrhythmia in a Rat Model of Infantile Epilepsy
Faculty Advisor: Libor Velíšek, M.D., Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy and of neurology and pediatrics

Platform Award: Danielle Quaranto
Long Non-Coding RNA LINC01614 Promotes Ferroptosis Resistance in Papillary Thyroid Cancer
Faculty Advisor: Jan Geliebter, Ph.D., professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology and associate professor of otolaryngology

Platform Award: Morgan Anderson-Crannage 
Inflammatory Signature of Fibroblasts from Patients with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa
Faculty Advisor: Mitchell S. Cairo, M.D., professor of pediatrics, medicine, of cell biology and anatomy, and of pathology, microbiology and immunology

Platform Award: Janice Fung
Defining Immune Correlates of Protection for an Intranasal Vaccine Against Yersinia Pestis
Faculty Advisor: Paul M. Arnaboldi, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology

Platform Award: Anthony Centone
Utilizing Transposon Mutagenesis and CRISPRi to Uncover Essential Genes for Francisella Tularensis Virulence and Survival in Macrophages
Faculty Advisor: Chandra Shekhar Bakshi, DVM, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology

Junior Poster Presentations

First Place: Aaron Wilson
Assessing the Safety, Acceptability, Adherence, Efficacy, and Biomarkers of Hou’s Medical Qi-Gong Therapy for Low Back Pain
Faculty Advisor: Xiu-Min Li, M.D., M.S., professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology and of otolaryngology

Second Place: Daniel Kopulos
Murine Model of Human Atopic March from Eczema to Food Allergy
Faculty Advisor: Xiu-Min Li, M.D., M.S., professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology and of otolaryngology

Third Place: Comfort E. Williams
Pai-1 Induces Cell Migration of Pulmonary Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells: Implications for Pulmonary Arterial Remodeling
Faculty Advisor: Sachin Gupte, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pharmacology

Senior Poster Presentations

First Place: Fariba Ardalani
Establishment of an IgE-Mediated Murine Model of Peanut, Cashew and Shrimp Multiple Food Allergies
Faculty Advisor: Xiu-Min Li, M.D., M.S., professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology and of otolaryngology

Second Place: Kaci Kopec
Differentiation Driver Gene Hoxd4 is a Determinant of the Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Phenotype and a Potential Therapeutic Target
Faculty Advisor: Raj K. Tiwari, Ph.D., professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology and associate professor of otolaryngology

Third Place: MD Al Azim
Faculty Advisor: Julie S. Di Martino, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell biology and anatomy