20th Annual Spring CCTS Conference is Largest Ever with 1,150 Participants
Students from Frederick Douglass High School attended the conference to present their original research posters and learn more about the biomedical field. Photo: Jeremy Blackburn, UK Research Communications
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 9, 2025) – The University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) hosted its 20th Annual Spring Conference on April 1, drawing its largest audience ever—more than 1,150 researchers, clinicians, students, and community members to share findings and foster collaborations.
The annual event is a pillar of the CCTS’s mission to accelerate discoveries that improve health. Its agenda featured two renowned keynote speakers, more than 50 podium presentations, 380 poster presentations (including 22 by students from Lexington’s Frederick Douglass High School Biomedical Pathways Program), the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship 60-Second Poster Pitch Competition, and Mentor Recognition Awards.
While the 2025 theme focused on innovative clinical trial design, the conference also included sessions on a range of topics such as the impact of life experiences on health and community-driven research through partnerships with Cooperative Extension. Additionally, the multidisciplinary conference hosted research days for the UK Colleges of Dentistry, Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Department of Internal Medicine, and Institute of Biomedical Informatics.
“This annual conference of the CCTS brings together scientists from many disciplines across UK, said Philip A Kern, MD, co-director of the CCTS. “It’s showcases the depth and breadth of health research within our center and university, and it’s a fantastic opportunity to promote team science and develop new collaborations.”
Awards
An important aspect of the conference is the presentation of Mentor Recognition Awards. Mentorship can be a defining factor for up-and-coming researchers, but it’s a skill and effort that often goes unrecognized. The CCTS Mentor Recognition Awards are presented annually to faculty members who are nominated by their mentees.
The 2025 recipients are:
- Melinda Ickes, PhD
Assistant Dean of Research
Professor
College of Education
- Carrie Oser, PhD
Endowed DiSilvestro Professor of Sociology
Associate Director, Substance Use Priority Research Area (SUPRA)
Associate Director, Center for Health, Engagement, and Transformation (CHET)
- Nathan Vanderford, PhD, MBA
Associate Professor, Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology
Director, Appalachian Career Training in Oncology Program
Director of Administration, Center for Cancer and Metabolism
Assistant Director of Pathway Programs and Student Success, Markey Cancer Center
- William Stoops, PhD
Dr. William R. Willard Professor in Behavioral Science, Department of Behavioral Science with Joint Appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology
Faculty, Center on Drug and Alcohol Research
Associate Director for Clinical Research, Substance Use Priority Research Area
Director, Regulatory Knowledge and Support Core, Center for Clinical and Translational Science
Associate Vice President for Research Integrity, Office of the Vice President for Research
The Gerald Supinski Award for Excellence in Mentoring was presented to Lisa Cassis, PhD, former UK Vice President for Research (2015 – 2024) and current professor with joint appointments in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, the Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, the Graduate Center for Toxicology, the Barnstable Brown Diabetes and Obesity Center, and the College of Pharmacy. The Supinski Award is named in honor the late Dr. Gerald Supinksi, tireless mentor to generations of health researchers who led the CCTS KL2 Career Development Program for many years.
A Special Recognition award was presented Richard Kryscio, PhD, professor of statistics and biostatics in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, for his decades-long contributions to research and mentorship at UK.
Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship 60-Second Poster Pitch Competition
An exciting hallmark of each CCTS conference is the annual Poster Pitch Competition, hosted by the UK Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship. Participants receive coaching on pitching their research and developing their work for commercialization. After the live, in-person pitches, four competitors receive cash prizes.
The 2025 winners were:
- First Place ($1,250): Sarisha Lohano, College of Medicine
Poster: "RAD Deletion Increases Exercise Through Mitochondrial Function" - 2nd Place ($1,000): Maribeth Stafford, College of Medicine
Poster: "Acute Cannabis and Alcohol Effects on Simulated Driving Performance and Subjective Driving Confidence in Humans" - 3rd place ($750): Nicole Marker, College of Medicine
Poster: "Surgical Treatment of Cardiac Tumors: A Single Center Experience" - Director's Award ($500): Pegah Safavi, College of Engineering
Poster: "Continuous Monitoring of Cerebral Blood Flow and Oxygenation Responses to Intermittent Hypoxia in Neonatal Rats"
Research Presentations from Frederick Douglass High School Students
An annual highlight of the CCTS conference for the last several years has been the participation of students from Lexington’s Frederick Douglass High School (FDHS) Biomedical Pathways Program. Students in the program work in small groups to conduct research on cancer, then develop and present academic research posters on their work. This creates a unique opportunity for high school students to experience presenting at a major conference and receiving feedback from experienced researchers. More than 60 FDHS students presented 22 original research posters on cancer this year.
You can see a video with some of the students via WLEX news here.
The project described was supported by the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through grant number UL1TR001998. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
Media Contact: Mallory Profeta, mallory.profeta@uky.edu
