Medicine School Hosts Research Symposium

Wayne State University is gathering its researchers to discuss the tools shaping modern biomedical science. The School of Medicine is hosting a thematic research mini-symposium for the Nov. 30 event. This gathering brings together faculty, students, and postdoctoral scholars from across the university system.

The event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. in the Margherio Family Conference Center located in Scott Hall. Organizers scheduled a pizza lunch for the first hour of the program. Following the meal, the formal presentations begin at noon with opening remarks.

Hengguang Li, Ph.D., will open the academic session at 12:10 p.m. Li serves as a professor and chair of Mathematics at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He is also the director of the Institute for AI and Data Science. His talk, titled “AI at Wayne State: Capabilities, Infrastructure, and Opportunities for Biomedical Research,” addresses how artificial intelligence supports research efforts.

Alice Walker, Ph.D., follows at 12:35 p.m. with a presentation on computational insights from molecular machine learning. As an associate professor of Chemistry, she will discuss physical modeling for design. Ladislau Kovari, Ph.D., speaks next at 1 p.m. regarding structural biology. Kovari is a professor and associate chair of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Medicine. He will explain how access to the LS-CAT Synchrotron advances drug discovery.

Steven Firestine, Ph.D., presents at 1:25 p.m. on blocking signals in Clostridioides difficile spore germination. Firestine holds the chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. His work involves the design and synthesis of bile salt analogs. Wasif Saif, M.D., speaks at 1:50 p.m. about translating laboratory discoveries into early-phase clinical trials. Saif is a professor of Oncology in the School of Medicine.

Phillip Levy, M.D., MPH, concludes the symposium at 2:15 p.m. by introducing the DATAi Core. Levy holds the Edward S. Thomas Endowed Professorship in Emergency Medicine. He also serves as associate vice president for Translational Science and director of the Center for Population Health Accountability at Wayne Health. Attendees will have 20 minutes for coffee and cookies before the final segment.

Vice President for Research & Innovation Ezemenari Obasi, Ph.D., leads a town hall from 3 to 4 p.m. All WSU faculty are invited to this session to discuss the Health Sciences Research Building. The facility is currently under construction. Hyeong-Reh Kim, Ph.D., serves as vice dean of Research at the School of Medicine. Kim manages the event logistics and can be reached at hrckim@med.wayne.edu for additional details.