2025 Research Symposium
34th Annual Research Symposium
May 9, 2025, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Venue: The Inn at Virginia Tech
Theme: Research Without Boundaries
In a time when science and expertise are increasingly questioned, “Research Without Boundaries” reaffirms our dedication to open, rigorous, and inclusive discovery. It underscores our belief that addressing today’s most pressing challenges requires not only scientific excellence, but also collaboration that reaches across disciplines, cultures, and geographies.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 7 a.m. | Registration and Continental Breakfast |
| 7:45 a.m. | Welcome |
| 8 a.m. | Population Health Sciences Faculty Speaker: Sophie Wenzel Faculty Speaker: Alasdair Cohen Graduate Student Speaker: Syeda Fatema Graduate Student Speaker: Janice O'Brien |
| 9:15 a.m. | Break/Networking |
| 9:30 a.m. | Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology Faculty Speaker: Kirsten Nielsen Faculty Speaker: Erin Gloag Graduate Student Speaker: Katie Tiller Graduate Student Speaker: Kaylee Petraccione |
| 10:45 a.m. | Break/Networking |
| 11 a.m. | Keynote Speaker: Michael Johnson "Using Copper Toxicity to Exploit a Microbial Achilles Heel" |
| 12 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1 - 2 p.m. | Even Numbered Posters |
| 2 - 3 p.m. | Odd Numbered Posters |
| 3 p.m. | Large Animal Clinical Sciences Faculty Speaker: Sophie Bogers Faculty Speaker: Vitor Mercadente Graduate Student Speaker: Katherine Gottleib Graduate Student Speaker: Emilee Lacey |
| 4:15 p.m. | Break/Networking |
| 4:30 p.m. | Small Animal Clinical Sciences Faculty Speaker: Michele Borgarelli Faculty Speaker: Richard Shinn Graduate Student Speaker: Ny Luong Graduate Student Speaker: Samantha McCarter |
| 5:45 p.m. | Reception |
| 6:30 -8 p.m. | Dinner and Awards |
Michael D. L. Johnson, PhD
Associate Professor, Immunobiology
College of Medicine Tucson
The University of Arizona
"Using Copper Toxicity to Exploit a Microbial Achilles Heel"
Michael D. L. Johnson received an A.B. in Music from Duke University and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After completing his dissertation in bacterial motility and attachment, he went to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the Department of Infectious Disease to study how bacteria process nutrients, specifically metals, during infections. Currently, Dr. Johnson is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona in the Department of Immunobiology where his main field of study is copper homeostasis in Streptococcus species. He is active in science outreach through developing and directing the National Summer Undergraduate Research Project and The BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
Faculty Speakers
Sophie Wenzel, MPH, DrPH
Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Population Health Sciences
Associate Director, Center for Public Health Practice and Research
"Interpersonal violence and substance use as precursors to incarceration:
interviews with women at the New River Regional Jail"
Alasdair Cohen, PhD, MPH, MSc
Assistant Professor of Environmental Epidemiology
Department of Population Health Sciences
"Advancing Methods for Wastewater-based Surveillance and Epidemiology at Sub-sewershed and Rural Community Scales"
Graduate Student Speakers
Syeda Fatema
Title: "Analyzing Healthcare Accessibility Patterns in Virginia’s New River Valley during the COVID-19 Crisis"
Mentor: Nick Ruktanonchai
Janice O’Brien
Title: "Home-prepared diets for companion dogs feature diverse ingredients and few are nutritionally complete"
Mentor: Audrey Ruple
Faculty Speakers
Kirsten Nielsen, PhD
Professor of Microbiology and Immunologyey
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology
"Development of Anthelmentic Benzamidazoles as Antifungals"
Erin Gloag, PhD
Assistant Professor of microbiology and biofilm biology
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology
"Early Kinetics of Chronic Infection"
Graduate Student Speakers
Katie Tiller
Title: "Auranofin Inhibits Hepatitis E Virus Replication Via Reactive Oxygen Species"
Mentor: James Weger
Kaylee Petraccione
Title: "Discovering host-viral protein interactions in autophagy: Identifying LC3-interacting region (LIR) motifs in hemorrhagic fever viruses for therapeutic targeting"
Mentor: Kylene Kehn-Hall
2. Elliana Vickers
4. Gabriela Carneiro de Sousa
6. Tian Xu
8. Emilee Lacey
10. Christina Vezza
12. Ama Amoakoma Agyei
14. Samantha McCarter
16. Rachel Persinger
18. Janice O'Brien
20. Suzanne Pinar
22. Samar Elsaadawy
24. Sai Navya Vadlamudi
26. Manali Powar
28. Kaylee Petraccione
30. Sierrah Travis
32. Ahmed Abouelkhair
34. Padmaja Mandadi
36. Chelsea Cereghino
38. Matthew Irwin
40. Brice Stolz
42. Claire Read
44. Nour Alkashef
46. Rafaela Flor
48. Carley Elliott
50. Syeda Nahid Fatema
52. Morgen VanderGiessen
54. Rana Estaleen
56. Chen-I Hsu
58. Laura Victoria Quishpe Contreras
60. Marlie Nightengale
62. Leanne Jankelunas
64. Amanda Moore
66. Fabian J. Roa
68. Andrianna Krippaehne
70. Caitlin Armstrong
1. Minsung Kim
3. Mitchell Caudill
5. Mahfuzul Islam
7. Katherine Gottleib
9. Brittany Heath
11. Vikram Kahlon
13. Amir Mortazavigazar
15. Katie Tiller
17. Lezith Chavez
19. Cassandra Poole
21. Tamalika Paul
23. Emma Hare
25. Abraham Adeyemo
27. Mikhala Stafford
29. Kimberly Martinez
31. Dima Hajj Ali
33. Somaia Abdelmegeed
35. Kirsten Masters
37. Md Mahabub Arefin Chowdhury
39. Ammar Khan
41. Ny Luong
43. Chad Artman
45. Abdallah Abdelsattar
47. Ian Taylor
49. Jillian Green
51. Taylor Nolen
53. Abdullahi Jamiu
55. Aida Shakeri
57. Hilary Montano
59. Shannon Carney
61. Annie Showers
63. James May
65. Elizabeth Harris
67. Nadine Altmann
69. Catie Burgess
Faculty Speakers
Sophie H. Bogers, BVSc, MVSc, PhD, DACVS–Large Animal
Clinical Assistant Professor of Large Animal Surgery
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
"Leading the Field: An Equine-Centered Approach to One-Health Research"
Vitor Mercadante, DVM, MS, PhD
Affiliate Assistant Professor of Production Management Medicine
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
"Going to prison for the good of science!"
Graduate Student Speakers
Katherine Gottleib
Title: "Comparison of gait characteristics for horses without shoes, with steel shoes, and with aluminum shoes"
Mentor: Christopher Byron
Emilee Lacey
Title: "Pharmacokinetics of Oral Mirtazapine in Healthy Adult Alpacas"
Mentor: Katherine Wilson
Faculty Speakers
Michele Borgarelli, DVM, PhD, DECVIM–Companion Animals (Cardiology)
Professor of Cardiology
Director, Comparative Cardiovascular Laboratory
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
"The LOOK-mitral study: relevance of registry studies in the clinical research"
Richard Shinn, DVM, MS, DACVIM–Neurology
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
"Technology in Veterinary Neurology – Both Old & New"
Graduate Student Speakers
Ny Luong
Title: "Immunomodulatory effects of histotripsy and N-dihydrogalactochitosan in preclinical murine and comparative canine models of osteosarcoma"
Mentor: Joanne Tuohy
Samantha McCarter
Title: "Examining milk composition and neonatal puppy growth between overweight and lean canine dams"
Mentor: Orsolya Balogh