The AAI Outreach Program provides career development opportunities for young investigators by supporting podium and poster presentation awards at member-organized immunology meetings throughout the United States and internationally. AAI are delighted to showcase awardees most recently supported by the AAI Outreach Program.
Southeastern Immunology Symposium (SIS)
The 11th Annual Southeastern Immunology Symposium (SIS) was held August 16-17, 2024, in Birmingham, Alabama. Investigators at all career stages from institutions across the southeast presented their latest research to foster collaborations. AAI supported 15 Young Investigator Awards for podium and poster presentations.
The awardees for podium presentations were:
- Dominic Albao (AAI ’22), graduate student, Wertheim Univ. of Florida Scripps Inst.
- Kali Crofts (AAI ’24), graduate student, Wake Forest Sch. of Med.
- Cameron Mattingly (AAI ’21), graduate student, Emory Univ.
- Roy Mulpur (AAI ’22), graduate student, Emory Univ.
- Kaylee Steiner, graduate student, Vanderbilt Univ.
The awardees for poster presentations were:
- Covenant Adeboboye, graduate student, Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham
- Susana Cheetham (AAI ’22), graduate student, Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham
- Russell Cochrane (AAI ’22), graduate student, Med. Univ. of South Carolina
- Lou-Ella George-Alexander, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, Emory Univ.
- Mercy Kehinde-Ige, graduate student, Augusta Univ.
- Kunal Kumar, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, Augusta Univ.
- Sarah Michalets (AAI ’22), graduate student, Emory Univ.
- Harish Narasimhan (AAI ’23), graduate student, Univ. of Virginia
- Christopher Risley, Ph.D. (AAI ’24), postdoctoral fellow, Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham
- Matthew Stier, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, Vanderbilt Univ.
Great Lakes Transplant Immunology Forum
The 24th Annual Great Lakes Transplant Immunology Forum was held August 26-27, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. This meeting was founded as the Erie Transplant Forum in 2000 by Charles Orosz (AAI ’84) and has grown into an incubator for new research ideas among transplant immunologists. This year, AAI Councilor Maria-Luisa Alegre, DFAAI (AAI ’93), was a co-organizer of the Forum. AAI supported four Young Investigator Awards at the meeting.
- Aparnaa Ananthakrishnan, student, Northwestern Univ.
- Kassandra Baron, graduate student, Univ. of Pittsburgh
- Samarth Durgam, Ph.D. (AAI ’22), postdoctoral fellow, Univ. of Chicago
- Dinesh Jaishankar, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, Northwestern Univ.
Colorado Immunology and Microbiology Conference
The 23rd Annual Colorado Immunology and Microbiology Conference (CIMC) took place August 28-30, 2024, in Breckenridge, Colorado. Immunologists and microbiologists from the mountain West region and beyond met to present research on a wide variety of topics. AAI supported ten Young Investigator awards for poster and podium presentations at the Conference.
The awardees for poster presentations were:
- Gabriella Albert (AAI ’23), graduate student, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Med. Campus
- Joselyn Cruz Cruz, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Med. Campus
- Elizabeth Nail, graduate student, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Med. Campus
- Kristen Zarella, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Med. Campus.
The awardees for podium presentations were:
- Isik Can, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, Natl. Jewish Hlth.
- Lena Cedrone, graduate student, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Med. Campus
- Jodi Corley, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, Natl. Jewish Hlth.
- Erin Fish, graduate student, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Med. Campus
- Ashton Sigler, graduate student, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Med. Campus
- Gabrielle Vragel, graduate student, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Med. Campus.
For more information about the AAI Outreach Program, visit our website.
