5th Annual Postdoctoral Research Symposium - Emory University ...

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ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE 5th ANNUAL POSTDOCTORAL
RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
By Anca Doloc‐Mihu, Ph.D.
Biology, Emory College
Event details:
May 31, 2012, 9:00AM-4:30PM
School of Medicine 130/Lobby
http://www.med.emory.edu
/postdoc/PostdocComm/res
earch.htm
he fifth annual Research
T Symposium of Postdoctoral
Fellows from different
departments and divisions of
the Biomedical Sciences at
Emory University will be held
on May 31, 2012. Events will
include the keynote speaker,
Dr. Harriet Robinson, Ph.D.,
Yerkes Research Center, as
well as oral presentations and
posters by postdoctoral fellows
providing a great opportunity
for Postdoc Fellows to network
and exchange ideas. There will
be four sessions of 10-minute
presentations and two poster
sessions during the day.
All Emory postdoc fellows are
encouraged to submit abstracts
of their work for participation
in the symposium. The Postdoc
Research Symposium
Committee selects a number of
abstracts from the submissions
for the oral presentations.
There are many wonderful
mentors here at Emory who
have mentored and guided a
significant number of Postdoc
Fellows in their research and
career development. These
mentors definitely play an important
role in developing a
healthy and functional research
and education community at
Emory. It is due to the latter
that the Office of Postdoctoral
Education (OPE) asks postdocs
to nominate mentors who
have gone above and beyond
in helping postdocs to accomplish
their goals while at
Emory.
The program will conclude
with Outstanding Mentor
Awards and Honors Awards
for Postdoctoral Fellows who
have distinguished themselves
in research in the past year.
In the past year, Postdoctoral
Fellows who had distinguished
themselves in the research
were recognized, and each received
an Honor Award. Forty
three postdocs received training
awards, grants and fellowships,
28 won travel awards to
research meetings, and 30
postdocs were invited to give
talks.
The day will end with a Social
at 5:00pm. For a more detailed
program schedule, please visit
the website. Here‟s to an informative
and enjoyable Postdoc
Research Symposium!
Perspectives on the 2011
Postdoctoral Research Symposium
from the Poster
Award Winners
n an effort to provide this
I year‟s participating postdocs
information on what how
to prepare for the awards competition
of the Emory Postdoctoral
Research Symposium we
have asked advice from last
year‟s winners. Enjoy the inside
scoop!
Abdel A. Alli, PhD, MPH
Physiology, SOM
I did my undergraduate and
graduate studies at the University
of South Florida, earning a
Doctor of Philosophy degree
and a Master of Science degree
in Medical Sciences from the
College of Medicine and a
Master of Public Health degree
in Global Health from the College
of Public Health. I am
currently a second year postdoctoral
scholar and FIRST
IRACDA fellow.
My research involves investigating
the regulation of the
epithelial sodium channel
(ENaC) using biochemical and
electrophysiological approaches.
My future research
and career goals include becoming
a full professor at a
Tier 1 research university with
the opportunity to conduct biomedical
research, teach at the
graduate level, and become a
director of a center or program.
My research project that I presented
at the 4th Annual Postdoctoral
Research Symposium
focused on identifying the role
of myristoylated alanine-rich C
kinase substrate (MARCKS)
protein in the phosphatidylinositol
phosphate (PIP) dependent
regulation of ENaC.
This presentation introduced
several novel polyclonal antibodies
and recombinant fusion
proteins that help make it possible
to study the molecular
mechanism between PIPs,
MARCKS, and ENaC. The
direct regulation of ENaC by
PIPs is known, but neither
ENaC nor PIPs are abundantly
present at the apical membrane
of polarized epithelial cells and
an understanding of the interaction
between ENaC and PIPs
has been lacking. The research
addressed the role of
MARCKS to function as a
scaffolding/adaptor protein in
sequestering PIPs for presentation
to ENaC. ENaC is regulated
at many different levels,
and its activity is important for
maintaining sodium balance,
extracellular fluid volume, and
long term blood pressure control.
A clear understanding of
the mechanism that regulates
ENaC may allow for novel
drug targets and therapeutics
for the control of lung fluid
clearance and blood pressure.
Presentation tips: I would encourage
all postdocs to participate
in this event because it
allows for scientific networking,
opportunity for collaborations,
and the development of
critical presentation skills. I
would advise participants to be
able to present their research in
layman's terms, be comfortable
answering specific questions
regarding any novel methodologies
and observed results,
and to be receptive to feedback
and suggestions.