In the April installment of the DOM Research Seminar, Ankit A. Desai, MD, will speak on “Bench-to-Bedside Approaches Unravel Inflammatory Mechanisms Underlying Novel Cardiovascular Phenotypes in Sickle Cell Disease” and Elizabeth Connick MD, will talk about “The Role of B Cell Follicles in HIV Replication and Persistence.”
The seminar will be Thursday, April 13, noon to 1 p.m., in the Room 5403 auditorium of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. A light lunch will be served in the style of grand rounds.
The two were originally to speak in the series June 8, but scheduling conflicts necessitated a move. 
Click here [PDF] to view, download, post and share the flyer for this event.
Watch It Again!
If you missed the seminar, you can view the archived video at this link. For a photo gallery from the event, click here [PDF] or on the image at the right.
Dr. Ankit Desai
Dr. Desai is an assistant professor of medicine and physiological sciences, UA Division of Cardiology, and a member of the UA Sarver Heart Center. His lab is part of the center’s Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program.
A physician-scientist whose research on cardiovascular disparities in minorities with heart failure and pulmonary hypertension is funded by the National Institutes of Health and American Heart Association, Dr. Desai is a non-invasive cardiologist and a translational researcher. His MCRP lab investigates the mechanistic basis of pulmonary vascular disease and associated heart failure. The lab uses a systems biology bench-to-bedside approach for gene discovery and characterization, pre-clinical models of disease, and biomarker identification in humans. With a growing track record of successful trainees mentored by him, he seeks to translate laboratory research into novel therapies and personalized treatment for patients.
Dr. Desai earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, did his internal medicine residency at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, and completed a cardiovascular disease fellowship at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He was previously an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System.
Dr. Elizabeth Connick
One of the foremost translational physician-scientists on HIV and the prevention of AIDS in the world, Dr. Connick, is a professor of medicine and chief of the UA Division of Infectious Diseases at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson.
Her work particularly targets studies of HIV pathogenesis in lymphoid tissues where the majority of HIV replication and CD4+ T cell destruction occurs. Serving on several related national and international research consortiums, she has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for decades. She joined the UA faculty from the University of Colorado Denver in April 2016. In July, it was announced the UA would join 18 institutions participating in a $28 million NIH grant to marshal various immunotherapy advances to create a novel HIV cure strategy.
Dr. Connick is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College, Columbia University and Harvard University, where she earned her medical degree. She completed her internal medicine residency at New York’s Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and her infectious diseases fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences in Denver.
The DOM Research Seminar Series
The DOM Research Seminar Series began in September 2016 and occurs on the second Thursday of the month during the academic year, typically pairing a junior and senior investigator from our faculty who are with different divisions to ensure a variety of topics of broad interest are covered. There are only two more seminars in the 2016-17 inaugural season for this lecture series.
Save the Dates – May 11, June 8
At the May 11 DOM Research Seminar lectures, the speakers will be: Archita Desai, MD — assistant professor of medicine, UA Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and research associate, UA Liver Research Institute; and Bhaskar Banerjee, MD — professor of medicine, optical sciences and biomedical engineering, UA Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
On June 8, the Seminar speakers will be: Elizabeth Juneman, MD —associate professor of medicine, UA Division of Cardiology; member, UA Sarver Heart Center; UA Reynolds Scholar in Applied Geriatrics, and director of outpatient cardiology services at Banner – UMC Tucson and South; and 
Andrew Kraft, MD —professor of medicine, UA Division of Hematology and Oncology, the Sydney E. Salmon Endowed Chair and director, UA Cancer Center; senior associate dean for translational research, UA College of Medicine – Tucson, and associate vice president, oncology programs, UA Health Sciences.
ALSO SEE:
“Sickle Cell, Congenital Heart Disease Focus of UA Researcher NIH Awards Worth Nearly $5.21M” | Posted April 3, 2017
“Translational Studies in Cardiovascular Disease, HIV/AIDS Focus of April DOM Research Seminar” | Posted March 20, 2017
"Final WLSC Speaker Draws Packed House on ‘Pulmonary Vascular Disease’ Talk" | Posted March 10, 2017