Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

11th Annual San Antonio Postdoctoral Research Forum

Keynote Speaker

Jennifer Sharpe Potter, PhD, MPH

Vice President for Research

Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

UT Health San Antonio

"Science Matters - How It Started, How It’s Going"

Jennifer Potter SAPRF Image

2023 Winners

UT Health San Antonio

Iriscilla Ayala, PhD
Mentor: Luke Norton, PhD
Department: Medicine - Diabetes
1st place: THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL FUNCTION OF TCF7L2 IS SPATIALLY  RESTRICTED  IN  LIVER  AND  REGULATES  ZONATED  METABOLIC  PATHWAYS  WHICH  CONTRIBUTE  TO  LIVER  DISEASE

Bojana Stefanovska, PhD
Mentor: Reuben Harris, PhD
Department: Biochemistry and Structural Biology
2nd place: APOBEC3B  AND  DNA  LIGASE  1  AS  SYNTHETIC  LETHAL  PAIRS

Carlos Rivera, PhD
Mentor: Paolo Casali, PhD
Department: Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics
3rd place: INTRINSIC  B  CELL  TLR-BCR  LINKED  COENGAGEMENT  INDUCES  CLASS-SWITCHED,  HYPERMUTATED,  NEUTRALIZING  ANTIBODY  RESPONSES  IN  ABSENCE  OF  T  CELL

Francisca Acosta, PhD
Mentor: Jean X. Jiang, PhD
Department: Biochemistry & Structural Biology
Best Oral Presentation: OSTEOCYTE  CONNEXIN  HEMICHANNELS  AND  ASSOCIATED  PGE2  RELEASE  REGULATE  ADIPOGENESIS  AND  BODY  METABOLISM


Texas Biomedical Research Institute

Lakmini Premadasa, PhD
Mentor: Mohan Mahesh, PhD
Department: Host-Pathogen Interactions Program
1st place: CANNABINOIDS MODULATE THE PLASMA SECONDARY BILE ACIDS PROFILE AND MICROBIOTA-GUT-BRAIN AXIS IN SIV INFECTION VIA REDUCING GUT MICROBIOME DYSBIOSIS AND ELEVATING NEURO-PROTECTIVE METABOLITE LEVELS

Susanta Pahari, PhD
Mentor: Larry S. Schlesinger, PhD
Department: Host-Pathogen Interactions Program
2nd place: THE ALVEOLAR MICROENVIRONMENT IN OLD AGE SHAPES ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGE PHENOTYPE AND FUNCTION

Ajai D'silva, PhD
Mentor: Smita Kulkarni, PhD
Department: Host-Pathogen Interactions Program
3rd place: LONG NON-CODING RNA BRE-AS1 REGULATES IFN-I RESPONSE AND SARS-COV-2 REPLICATION

Ajai D'silva, PhD
Mentor: Smita Kulkarni, PhD
Department: Host-Pathogen Interactions Program
Oral Presentation Recognition: LONG NON-CODING RNA BRE-AS1 REGULATES IFN-I RESPONSE AND SARS-COV-2 REPLICATION


United States Army Institute of Surgical Research 

Marc Thompson, PhD
Mentor: Kai P. Leung, PhD
Department: Combat Wound Care (CRT4)
1st place: EVALUATION OF SUBCUTANEOUS COMBINATION IBUPROFEN AND RESOLVIN D2 THERAPY TO MITIGATE BURN PROGRESSION

Joseph Wolf, PhD
Mentor: Kai P. Leung, PhD
Department: Combat Wound Care (CRT4)
2nd place: PCL/PLGA COAXIAL ELECTROSPUN MAT INFUSED WITH MAFENIDE ACETATE FOR TREATMENT OF INVASIVE WOUND INFECTION AFTER BURN INJURIES

Miryam Pando, PhD
Mentor: Carmen Hinojosa-Laborde, PhD
Department: Pain and Sensory Trauma Combat Research Team (CRT5)
3rd place: EFFECTS OF A NOVEL ACETAMINOPHEN (APA) ANALOG ON SURVIVAL TIME AFTER EXTREMITY TRAUMA AND MODERATE OR SEVERE CONSCIOUS HEMORRHAGE IN RATS

Marc Thompson, PhD
Mentor: Kai P. Leung, PhD
Department: Combat Wound Care (CRT4)
Oral Presentation Recognition: EVALUATION OF SUBCUTANEOUS COMBINATION IBUPROFEN AND RESOLVIN D2 THERAPY TO MITIGATE BURN PROGRESSION


University of Texas at San Antonio

Nicolas Muzzio, PhD
Mentor: Gabriela Romero, PhD
Department: Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering
1st place: CONDUCTIVE POLYMER NANOPARTICLES AS BIOCOMPATIBLE COATINGS FOR NEURONAL INTERFACES

Murray Bennett, PhD
Mentor: Joe Houpt, PhD
Department: Psychology Department/College for Health, Community and Policy
2nd place: IMPROVING HUMAN PERCEPTION AND COMPUTER VISION IDENTIFICATION OF MALIGNANT MELANOMA

Zoe Hoffpauir, PhD
Mentor: Audrey L. Lamb, PhD
Department: Chemistry
3rd place: THE RIBOFLAVINATOR: RISE OF THE BIOSYNTHETIC MACHINES

Erick Olivares, PhD
Mentor: Charles Wilson, PhD
Department: Neuroscience, Developmental & Regenerative Biology
Oral Presentation Recognition: COMPUTATIONAL MODELS OF OSCILLATORY NEURONS IN THE BASAL GANGLIA