The Phi Zeta Student Research day as usual included a keynote speaker, talks by VMD-PhD students, talks by VMD students, and student posters. Speakers were chosen from a large pool of abstracts and winners amongst our current VMD-PhD students are listed below.

Keynote Address

Speaker: Dr. Mark Haskins, VMD, PhD, Professor of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
“Genetic Disease: Translational Medicine—Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow”

VMD-PhD Student Presentation Winners

First Place

Abigail Shearin
Advisor: Morris J. Birnbaum, MD., PhD Willard and Rhoda War e Professor of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Title: Metabolic changes in mice with adipocyte specific deletion of Akt.

Second Place

Feini (Sylvia) Qu
Advisor: Robert Mauck, Ph.D., Department of Orthopedic Surgery,
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Title: Improved meniscus integration via controlled degradation of the winterface. 

Third Place

Robyn Allen
Advisor: Brett Kaufman, PhD, Department of Animal Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Title: Determining the influence of mtDNA content on cardiomyocyte survival during ischemia reperfusion injury.

Poster Winners

Second Place

Pierce Nathanson
Advisor: Alice Chen-Plotkin, MD, Department of Neurology,
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Title: The DNA-binding properties of TDP-43 in health and disease.