The second pass at the University of Arizona Department of Medicine P.I. Research Poster Session, was held Jan. 24 in Kiewit Auditorium.
More than 40 posters from principal investigators in the department on projects supported by the National Institutes of Health and other funders were listed for the second annual event.
See the program—with poster titles and collaborators organized by division—at 
this link [PDF].
Light refreshments and beverages were on hand.
And the conversations generated as junior and senior faculty, fellows, residents and medical students mingled were invaluable, said Jil Tardiff, MD, PhD, DOM vice chair for research, who organized the event. She's pictured at right with researcher Christina M. Laukaitis, MD.
Dr. Tardiff, a cardiologist who is also the Steven M. Gootter Endowed Chair for the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death and a member of the UA Sarver Heart Center and BIO5 Institute, noted the event offered a great opportunity to learn more about what colleagues were doing, look for collaborators or mentors and find out about the breadth of cutting-edge research being done within the department.
The night also served as a chance to meet incoming chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD (pictured left with Bhaskar Banerjee, MD), who had her own research poster on display. Dr. Merchant, an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine since 2008 (then known as the National Academies' Institute of Medicine), is a renowned physician-scientist at the University of Michigan who has made paradigm-shifting contributions to the understanding of gastric response to chronic inflammation. She starts after the spring semester.
To view a photo gallery from the evening, you can click here [PDF] or on the image at the right. Photos also are posted to the Department of Medicine group site on the Workplace by Facebook app, which serves as an informal intranet for the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. You’ll find that Workplace link here.
DOM Chair Monica Kraft, MD (pictured in top photo on left in image on right), urged P.I. Poster night attendees to follow-up with each other on possible linkages in their research, prospects for mentorship or possible research training opportunities.
“We’re not just here to advance our own research and careers, but to help others grow in theirs,” she said. “And in helping others, often we find our own rewards. That’s the beauty of an event like this.”
The UA College of Medicine – Tucson is now ranked 67th in the country among "Best Medical Schools" for research and 76th for primary care by U.S. News and World Report.
Dr. Kraft underscored that NIH funding for faculty in the UA Department of Medicine has increased from $11,621,984 in 2015 to $31,801,755 by September 2017.
"Our Blue Ridge rankings (compiled by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research) also have jumped from 56th in 2015 to 39th in 2017," she added. "This ranking should continue to increase and, if you are not familiar with these rankings, it is a huge change for a Department in such a short time. This demonstrates that we have many talented and accomplished faculty engaged in research!"
ALSO SEE:
“Dozens of Dynamic DOM Investigators to Be on Hand for 2nd P.I. Research Poster Night, Jan. 24” | Posted Jan. 8, 2018
“First-Ever PI Research Poster Night by Department of Medicine Pulls in 100 Attendees” | Posted Jan. 19, 2017
“Chances for Collaboration, Training to Abound at DOM’s First PI Research Poster Night, Jan. 17” | Posted Jan. 10, 2017