Van Liere and WV IDeA Research Conference

The conference will engage researchers from WVU and academic institutions from across the state of West Virginia and regional area.

  • Erickson Alumni Center
  • Health Sciences Center

About

The Van Liere Research Day started out in 1965 to highlight research of medical students in the School of Medicine. Over the years, it grew to annual event to showcase research from across the Health Sciences Center by featuring undergraduate, graduate, medical, and professional programs. 

In 2024, the conference expanded by inviting IDeA supported researchers and students from across the state of WV to join the researchers and students of WVU HSC.

The 2026 Van Liere & WV IDeA Research Award Winners:

Clinical 

Anthony Colangelo 

Rahat Islam Arefy 

Victoria Stracci 

Natalie Wonsettler

Arjun Tomer 

Sara Palmer 

 

PhD_MD/PhD

Jasmine Harper

Annabelle Smith

Emma Trate

Ezekiel Irewole 

Madison Cooper

Maeve Morris 

 

Postdoc/Resident Fellow 

Katherine Lee

Sila Niedoba

 

Undergraduate

Minnal Senthil

Colin Carey

Brody Helmick

Dominic Granata

Isabella Wilkerson

 

High School 

Kensley Cooper

Braxton Nichols

Olyvia Cottman

Zoe Fasouletos

Nathan Powell

A group of three student attendees stand amongst the poster presentations of the Pylons area if the Health Sciences Center. Each is holding a clipboard and are observing and note-taking.
Dr. Clay Marsh is seen presenting with his hands raised and facing to the left. Behind him is a projected presentation slide.
Dr. Ali Rezai speaks. He is sitting, with both of his arms raised, as he faces to the left. There is a shadowed, onfocused outline of someone in the foreground on the left edge of the photo.
A student, shown to the right, is in discussion with another individual who is to the left and facing away. They are standing in front of a series of poster presentations inside the Pylons area of the Health Sciences Center.

Schedule

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Registration

Location: Main Entrance, Erickson Alumni Center

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Continental Breakfast and Networking

Location: Ruby Grand Hall, Erickson Alumni Center

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Welcome and Opening Remarks

Location: Ruby Grand Hall, Erickson Alumni Center

  • Ming Lei
  • Clay B. MarshMD
  • President Michael T. Benson

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Developing the HPV vaccine for cancer prevention and RAS regulation of the DLC1 tumor suppressor

Location: Ruby Grand Hall, Erickson Alumni Center

  • Douglas R. LowyMD
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Transition and Break

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Concurrent Research Symposia I

Location: Salon C - Cancer, 110/111 - Pop. Sci/Clinical Trials, 115 - Metabolic Diseases, Nutting Gal. - Tech , Erickson Alumni Center

Interdisciplinary Investigations in Cancer
Moderators
Emidio PistilliPhD
William WalkerPhD
Trainee Presentation “Chemophototherapy: Illuminating a Novel Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer”
Nicholas Hanna
Trainee Presentation “Dual inhibition of Glutamine Availability and Utilization as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Glioblastoma”
Jayden Glover
Trainee Presentation “Immunodeficient model of luminal breast cancer associated cachectic muscle dysfunction”
Stuart Clayton
Trainee Presentation “Breaking Through Barriers: Endothelin Receptor Antagonists as a Tool to Overcome P-gp Efflux”
Geoffrey Pecar
Trainee Presentation “Investigating the Role of ERO1A in Tumor Progression and Therapeutic Response in EGFR-Mutant NSCLC”
Santhosh Shanthi Bhupathi, PhD
Population Sciences/Clinical Trials
Moderator
Bethany Barone GibbsPhD
Trainee Presentation “The Impetus Behind the GARDEN-CARDIO Trial: Opportunities For Cardiometabolic Health Advancement”
Syed Ahmad
Trainee Presentation “Predictors of Cue-Reactivity in Electronic Cigarette Users”
Polina Krom
Trainee Presentation “Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Ablation of Pancreatic Tumors: Safety, Feasibility, and Early Clinical Outcomes”
Zim Warda Hasan
Trainee Presentation “Implementing Strength After Breast Cancer Across Appalachia”
McKinzey Dierkes, DPT
Trainee Presentation “Real-World Evidence Evaluating the Association Between the Number of HPV Vaccine Doses and the Incidence of Lower Genital Tract Dysplasia”
Saba Dangpiaei
Metabolic Diseases
Moderators
John M HollanderPhD
Roberta LeonardiPhD
Trainee Presentation “Acyl-CoA Degradation in Mitochondria: A New Layer of Thermogenic Regulation”
Sruthi Balaji
Trainee Presentation “LonP1, a Potential Regulator of Doxorubicin Induced Cardiotoxicity”
Kienan O'Dwyer
Trainee Presentation “A model West Virginia diet drives systemic and sex-specific transcriptomic changes to mouse metabolism and energy regulation”
Joshua Mogus
Faculty Presentation “Epigenetic regulation of diabetes-driven vascular aging”
Evan DeVallance, PhD, MS
Faculty Presentation “The Hox gene post2b limits body size in the regenerative flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea”
Christopher Arnold
Technology Development & Applications
Moderators
Karen MartinPhD
Werner GeldenhuysPhD, MS
Trainee Presentation “Mitochondrial-Targeted Delivery of a Portion of the Long Noncoding RNA Kcnq1ot1 Enhances mt-ATP6 Content in the Diabetic Heart”
Hafsat Alabere
Trainee Presentation “Targeted Ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles for the treatment of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia”
Rukiye Nur Seker
Trainee Presentation “Circadian influences on CAR T-cell trafficking in breast cancer brain metastases”
Paul Owolabi
Faculty Presentation “Utilizing RNA devices to modulate PD1 gene expression in mammalian cells for cancer immunotherapy”
Vibha Dwivedi
Faculty Presentation “From Technology Development to Biomedical Applications: Microenvironment-Adaptive Carbonate Nanoparticles and AI-Designed Antimicrobial Peptides.”
Bingyun Li, PhD
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Break and Transition

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Poster Session I

Location: Ruby Grand Hall, Erickson Alumni Center

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Lunch

Location: Courtyard Tent, Room 110/111, Kennedy Club Room, Erickson Alumni Center

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Break and Transition

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Concurrent Research Symposia II

Location: Salon C - Neuroscience, 110/111 - Micro/Immuno, 115 - Molecular Medicine, Erickson Alumni Center

Neuroscience
Moderator
Randy NelsonPhD
Trainee Presentation “The Role of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Signaling in Cortical Sensory Circuit Function”
Lindsey Morais
Trainee Presentation “Neutrophil expression of MCT4 aids stroke recovery in female mice”
Matthew Kays
Trainee Presentation “EphB2 Couples Competitive Ephrin-B3 and NMDAR Interactions to Amyloid-β–Induced Synaptic Dysfunction”
Adam Skeens, PhD
Trainee Presentation “Zinc transporter proteins as novel targets for brain health therapeutics: drug discovery and application”
Emma Trate
Trainee Presentation “Genistein improves associative learning in estrogen-deficient conditions”
Ezekiel Irewole
Immunity, Infection, and Disease
Moderators
Mariette BarbierPhD
Cory RobinsonPhD
Trainee Presentation “Transcriptomic meta-analysis reveals convergent inflammatory drivers of blood-brain barrier dysfunction across CNS diseases”
Andrew Strutz
Trainee Presentation “Investigating the role of IL-27 during gram-positive neonatal sepsis”
Melina Joshi
Trainee Presentation “An anti-LPS monoclonal antibody synergizes with standard-of-care antibiotics to protect mice against Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis infections”
Spencer Dublin
Trainee Presentation “Ag₂CO₃ Nanoparticles for Infection-Responsive Antibacterial Therapy”
Kneisha McDonald
Molecular Medicine
Moderator
Visvanathan RamamurthyPhD
Trainee Presentation “Using DNAzymes to Bridge Gaps in the Genetic Therapeutics Toolkit”
Holly Shultz
Faculty Presentation “Powering Protein Cleanup to Combat Neurodegeneration”
Nadeem Asad
Faculty Presentation “Single-Molecule Insights into Hair Cell Mechanotransduction and Deafness”
Ian Greear
Faculty Presentation “A Fresh Perspective on Antihypertensive Medicines: Two Novel Antibodies Revealed by Cryo-Electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM)”
Shian Liu
Trainee Presentation “Medical Imaging and AI: What Retinal Images Can Tell Us About Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer’s Disease”
Jacob Thrasher
Annahita Amireskandari, MD
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Break and Transition (3)

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Building Trustworthy AI Agents for Medicine: From Clinical Trial Matching to Deep Evidence Synthesis

Location: 110/111, Erickson Alumni Center

  • Zhiyong LuPhD, FACMI, FIAHSI
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Ice Cream and Awards

Location: 110/111, Erickson Alumni Center

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Registration, Poster Set-up & Breakfast

Location: Pylons, Health Sciences Center

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Welcome

Location: 1909 HSC-N, Health Sciences Center

  • Julie A LockmanPhD
  • Ming Lei
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Keynote Speaker

Location: 1909 HSC-N, Health Sciences Center

  • Rachael RushPhD
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Break and Transition (1)

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High School and Undergraduate Research Poster Session

Location: Pylons, Health Sciences Center

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Lunch/Preparing for Careers in Research Panel

Location: 2940 A&B HSC-N, Health Sciences Center

  • Savannah SimsPhD
  • Samuel SprowlsPhD
  • Tayvia BrownmillerPhD
  • McKinzey DierkesDPT
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Student Organizations, Graduate, and Professional School Program Showcase

Location: 2940 A&B HSC-N, Health Sciences Center

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Venues

A wide shot of the Erickson Alumni Center is seen against a mostly clear blue sky. The red brick building has a wing to the left; a tower near center capped by a “Flying WV” circular stained glass window near its top; and a brick wall with a gold WVU Alumni wordmark and text beneath it that reads, “The Erickson Alumni Center at Statler Wilson Commons” in gold lettering.

Erickson Alumni Center

1 Alumni Drive
Morgantown, WV 26506

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The front exterior of the Health Sciences Center complex show. The mostly white building has several benches and picnic tables on its lawn area, which also has plenty of plant life.

Health Sciences Center

64 Medical Center Drive
Morgantown, WV 26506

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Abstract Submissions

Poster Abstract submissions are now open. 

Please visit the form link (symposium.foragerone.com/2026-van-liere-and-wv-idea-research-conference/submission) to submit your abstract. You will be prompted to create an account in Forager One with an email and password to access the form. If you have questions about the submission process or the upcoming event, please contact Nicole Renner - Nicole.Beason@hsc.wvu.edu. We have received a number of emails stating the web link for the abstract submission is broken. Try again or refresh your browser. If issues persist, please contact Nicole Renner. 

Reminder all poster abstract submissions are Accepted. 

Poster Abstract submissions have been extended to Wednesday, September 23, 2026. 

Each poster will be assigned to a single board and do not need to worry about poster dimension specifications.

A large number of people are seen mingling amongst several rows of poster displays that are set up in the Pylons area of the Health Sciences Center in Morgantown. Some people are studying the posters, while others are in conversation about the displays.