2026 Annual LCTRC Symposium

2026 Annual LCTRC Symposium: Academic Advancement and Translational Discovery

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 9:00 am to 1:00 pm | UofL Clinical & Translational Research Building

The Louisville Clinical & Translational Research Center (LCTRC) invites faculty, students, staff, and colleagues to its 2026 Annual Symposium: Academic Advancement and Translational Discovery. This half-day conference showcases the scientific achievements and career trajectories of our emerging investigators, culminating in a leadership panel on academic advancement and work-life balance. Registration is required for lunch.

Symposium Agenda:

8:30 - 9:00 AM - Registration & Breakfast Welcoming Comments

^{LCTRC PD Core Directors Maxwell Boakye, MD & Kenneth Palmer, PhD}

9:15 - 10:45 AM - Research Updates from 2025 Presidential Scholars: Highlights from Clinical & Translational Discovery

^{Akshitkumar Mistry, MD | Dexamethasone: Friend or Foe for Brain Tumor Patients?} 

^{Christie Buonpane, MD | Harnessing Microbial Metabolite Analogs: Urolithin A as a Preventative and Therapeutic Avenue for Necrotizing Enterocolitis} 

^{Clarissa Ong, PhD | Personalizing Psychological Treatment from a Process-Based Lens} 

^{Andrew Lynn, PhD | Investigating Attention-Perception Interactions in Typical and Atypical Development} 

^{Frederick Ekuban, PhD | Environmental Pollutants as Hidden Risk Modifiers of Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Severity: Mechanistic & Translational Insights} 

^{Irina Vanzhula, PhD | Development of Digital Self-Guided Mealtime Interventions (eBite): Improving Access to Care}

10:45 - 11:00 AM - Break

11:00 - 11:45 AM - 2026 Presidential Scholar Research Spotlight: Robert Keskey, MD-PhD & Redi Rahmani, MD

^{Robert Keskey, MD-PhD | Gut Microbiota and Microbial Metabolites in Trauma and Critical Illness: Emerging Mechanisms and Translational Opportunities}

^{Redi Rahmani, MD | Cerapex Lab: Building a Translational Research Program for Intracranial Aneurysms and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage} 

11:45 - 12:45 PM - Lunch Discussion with Senior Investigators: Academic Advancement & Work-Life Balance

^{Jon Klein, MD-PhD, Executive Vice President for Research} 

^{Craig McClain, MD, Health Resources Director, Louisville Clinical & Translational Research Center}

^{Cheri Levinson, PhD, Director EAT Labs, Founder Louisville Center for Eating Disorders} 

^{Dawn Caster, MD, Associate Professor, Nephrology}

Previous LCTRC Symposiums