Research Faculty Seminar Series
The Office of Faculty Affairs & Faculty Development and the Medical School Office of Research have launched a Research Faculty Seminar Series (RFSS). The RFSS provides a platform to disseminate scientific findings, facilitate networking, and provide resources for research track faculty.
Please register for sessions you'd like to attend - in the event that we need to update, change, or cancel the session, you will be notified. Faculty are welcome to attend without registering if they understand they may miss important updates prior to the session.
If you are joining the RFSS program on the day of the program, please use the zoom link directly - do not register via the REGISTER ONLINE button.
Want to learn more? Check out our flyer.
June 9, 2022
Using participatory research methods to investigate and enhance patient safety
Sarah Krein, Ph.D., R.N.
Research Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
This presentation will discuss participatory research with a focus on video-reflexive ethnography as a participatory visual method. This includes describing the use of video-reflexive ethnography to study nurse-physician communication and its potential application in other studies to improve patient safety.
If you’re able, please join us after the presentation for a post-talk discussion about the RFSS Planning Survey and the future of the series.
Zoom
https://umich.zoom.us/j/94100902899
Passcode: 024698
June Flyer
Past Sessions
May 12, 2022
Global knockout mouse models reveal cooperative effects of thrombospondins 1 and 2 on bone physiology
Andrea Alford, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Extracellular matrix (ECM) imparts structure and regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Matricellular proteins are a class of multifunctional ECM proteins that facilitate communication between cells, growth factors, cytokines, and ECM. Thrombospondins 1 and 2 are highly homologous matricellular proteins, which facilitate collagen fibrillogenesis and modulate angiogenesis. The Alford lab studies TSPs in the contexts of mesenchymal stem cell-osteoblast lineage progression, osteoblast ECM maturation, and bone tissue quality.
April 14, 2022
Intelligent Integration of Multimodal Data for Clinical Decision Support
Jonathan Gryak, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Scientist
Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics
For many diseases and illnesses, the analysis of individual data modalities such as imaging or electronic health records alone is insufficient for accurate modeling - only through the integration and processing of all salient sources of information can a model be created that produces reliable clinical recommendations. In this presentation, I will provide an overview of multimodal data analysis along with examples where this approach was used in clinical applications including postoperative cardiac care and inflammatory bowel disease.
March 10, 2022
Investigating causes of brain malformations with induced pluripotent stem cell models
Andrew Tidball, Ph.D.
Research Investigator
Department of Neurology
Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) and neural tube defects (NTD) are two common types of brain malformations due in large part to de novo genetic mutations. For FCD, the somatic nature of these mutations makes identifying novel causative genes difficult. To circumvent these difficulties, I have developed a CRISPRi genetic screening platform in human induced pluripotent stem cells using the FCD biomarker phospho-S6 and have identified several novel genes regulators of this signaling pathway. For NTDs, proving causality of identified de novo mutations is difficult. I have developed a single rosette brain organoid platform to investigate the mechanisms of NTD. I hope to use this platform to validate potentially causative gene mutations.
February 2022
CDK-12 is a context-specific regulator of prostate cancer
Jean Tien, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Scientist
Department of Pathology
Inactivating mutations in the gene encoding cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12) define a subclass of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) that lacks other established oncogenic driver mutations. We employed mouse models and ex vivo organoid culture to determine the impact of Cdk12 loss in prostate epithelial cells. Our findings revealed Cdk12 loss to have context-specific effects: Inducing pre-cancerous lesions in the wild-type prostate, impairing the progression of tumors driven by Pten knockout, and promoting adenocarcinoma formation in the setting of p53 ablation. The findings suggest manipulation of CDK12 function has future clinical relevance in prostate cancers harboring specific mutational profiles.
January 2022
Development and Testing of a Novel Patient-Reported Outcome Metric for End-Stage Kidney Disease Dialysis Patients
Claudia Dahlerus, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Scientist
Department of Internal Medicine
This talk will describe the conceptual development and preliminary validation testing of a new patient-reported outcome (PRO) survey that asks end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on chronic dialysis about their life goals. It will highlight some of the qualitative and quantitative data collected from patients and report on results to date. The talk will also describe how measure scores from the Patient Life Goals PRO have the potential to facilitate treatment planning that better aligns with patient life goals.
December 2021
The December 9th session has been canceled.
Should I stay or should I go (or grow)?
Using live cell imaging to discover policies that govern single-cell decisions
Kathy Luker, Ph.D.
Associate Research Scientist
Department of Radiology
Individual cells and collections of cells make decisions of critical importance for our health, such as the decision to respond to signals governing cancer metastasis. Cells vary widely in their responses to these signals, even cells that are genetically identical. Recent work suggests that this variation is not random, but is regulated in individual cells by networks of signaling pathways that create and maintain diversity in the responsiveness of the population. Using combinations of fluorescent biochemical reporters in live cell microscopy, we can watch as cells make these decisions and use this data to create predictive models of heterogeneous responsiveness. With multiple approaches to modeling, including ODE and AI based models, we are working to understand and control the biochemical mechanisms and cellular policies that govern single-cell decisions.
November 2021
Editing the Rabbit Genome for Translational Research
November 11 | 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. | Zoom
Dongshan Yang, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
Gene editing has accelerated biotechnology at an unprecedented pace. This enhanced capacity to rewrite genomic information has accelerated not only scientific research, but also the translation into novel therapies. In this talk, Dr. Yang will introduce his work using gene editing technology to model human diseases in rabbits to facilitate translational research of novel therapies including the gene editing therapy.
October 2021
Patient Demographics and Disease Mechanisms
Sex and age alter immunity in ALS
October 14 | 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. | Zoom
Benjamin Murdock, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Neurology
The rates and severity of numerous diseases vary based on the sex and age of affected patients, and yet the impact of patient demographics is rarely explored. In our own studies examining the impact of the immune system on amyotrphic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we find that immune responses are altered based on sex and age suggesting differening disease mechanisms among demographic groups. Our findings highlight the need to examine demographic-specific mechanisms in disease research.
September 2021
Newly Navigated Territory
The risks, isolation, and rewards of family caregiving in the time of COVID-19
September 9 | 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. | Zoom
Amanda Leggett, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Psychiatry
In this talk, Dr. Amanda Leggett will describe mixed-methods research findings on family caregiving during the COVID-19 pandemic. She will highlight both barriers and facilitators to caregiving for patients who were hospitalized and incubated with COVID-19, for persons living with dementia, and in a national poll sample of older adults. Implications for care both in and outside of pandemic contexts will be offered.