The American Association of Immunologists (AAI) hosts a yearly conference where the world’s most prominent scientists and emerging young scholars meet to present and discuss cutting-edge research and developments in the field of Immunology.
Each year, trainees from all over the world submit abstracts to AAI in hopes of being selected to present their research to the immunology community. This year, AAI selected eight trainees from the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics (MIMG) at UT Health SA to present their research in Portland, Oregon. Five trainees were selected to present a podium presentation and received AAI Trainee Travel Awards, and all eight trainees were selected to present a poster. In total, MIMG trainees received seven awards from AAI.
Christian Cervantes
Christian Cervantes, a 3rd-year MIM Ph.D. Candidate in the laboratory of Dr. Zhenming Xu, was selected to present a podium and poster presentation, in addition to receiving a Minority Scientist Award and Trainee Travel Award for his research entitled, “PD-L1 plays a B-cell intrinsic role in suppressing the antibody response and anti-tumor immunity.” The Minority Scientist Award is a highly competitive award presented to underrepresented minority (URM) scientists. Both awards granted to Christian will provide funding for travel and expenses to attend the 2022 AAI Conference.
Raksha Parthasarathy
Raksha Parthasarathy, a 4th-year MIM Ph.D. Candidate in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Leadbetter, received an AAI Careers in Immunology Fellowship. This prestigious and competitive award offers one-year salary funding to trainees to support their career development. Raksha was selected to present a poster presentation on her research entitled “Leveraging iNKT cells to identify signals driving B cell memory commitment.”
Travis Shute
Travis Shute, a 5th-year MIM Ph.D. Candidate in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Leadbetter, received a Trainee Abstract Award and was selected to provide a podium presentation and poster presentation on his research entitled “Glycolipid-loaded nanoparticle immunotherapy cooperates with checkpoint inhibitors to harness iNKT cells for tumor control.”
Carlo Vanz
Carlo Vanz, a 3rd-year MIM Ph.D. Candidate in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Leadbetter, received a Trainee Abstract Award and was selected to provide a podium presentation and poster presentation on his research entitled “Dysfunction in B cell tolerance and activation in obesity.”
Saranya Srinivasan
Saranya Srinivasan, a 3rd-year MIM Ph.D. Candidate in the laboratory of Dr. Nu Zhang, received a Trainee Abstract Award and was selected to provide a podium presentation and poster presentation on her research entitled “Age-dependent changes in the regulatory program of CD8+ Regulatory T cells (CD8+Tregs).”
Sarah Wedemeyer
Sarah Wedemeyer, a 1st-year M.D./Ph.D. Student in the laboratory of Dr. Ann Griffith, received a Trainee Abstract Award and was selected to provide a podium presentation and poster presentation on her research entitled “Role of paracrine mTOR signaling in regulating thymus size and function.”
Yijiang Xu
Yijiang Xu, a 4th-year MIM Ph.D. Candidate in the laboratory of Dr. Paolo Casali, was selected to present a poster presentation entitled “Rad52 mediates class-switch DNA recombination to IgD.”
Shili Li
Shili Li, a 1st-year MIM Ph.D. Student in the laboratory of Dr. Paolo Casali, was selected to present a poster presentation entitled “Epigenetic Modulation of Class-switch DNA Recombination to IgA by miR-146a through Downregulation of Smad2, Smad3 and Smad4.”
AAI selected MIMG trainees based on their studious efforts, exceptional research, and dedication to scientific excellence. Each trainee is highly regarded by the members of our department, and we send our heartfelt congratulations on these outstanding achievements.
