In collaboration with the Neuromuscular Plasticity and BREATHE NIH-funded T32 Training Programs, the Department of Physical Therapy hosted the 17th Annual Neuromuscular Plasticity Symposium on March 17th and 18th. The pre-symposium reception took place on March 17th with 16 data blitz presentations from BREATHE T32 and the Neuromuscular Plasticity T32 Trainees highlighting their cutting-edge research.
The Plenary Lectures held on Friday, March 18th featured three renowned researchers, Darcy Reisman, PhD, PT, FAPTA (University of Delaware), Carlos B. Mantilla, MD, PhD (Mayo Clinic), and Samuel R. Ward, PT, PhD (UC-San Diego). This year’s Guest NMPT Symposium Scholars included Zoe Villamar (Northwestern University), Jacob Parson (Washington University), and Jonathan Enders (Kansas University Medical Center). The symposium was held in person for the first time since 2019 and had over 250 scientists and scholars in attendance.
This year also featured 52 poster presentations from various participating colleges in addition to the College of Public Health and Health Professions (College of Health and Human Performance, College of Engineering, and College of Medicine). Each student presented their research posters to an esteemed group of judges. The students selected for best poster presentations are listed below:
Neuromuscular Plasticity Symposium Poster Presentation Winners
Post-Doctoral Winners
| Name | Research title | mentor | College / Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sabhya Rana | “Ampakine CX717 Stimulated Diaphragm Activity following Mid-Cervical Spinal Contusion Injury” | David Fuller, PhD | College of Public Health and Health Professions, Department of Physical Therapy |
| Alexandria Marciante | “Aging Impairs Phrenic Long-Term Facilitation in Rats by an Adenosine-Dependent Mechanism” | Gordon S. Mitchell, PhD | College of Public Health and Health Professions, Department of Physical Therapy |
| Kyoungrae Kim | “A Murine Iliac Arteriovenous Fistula Model for Examination of Hemodialysis Access-Related Limb Pathophysiology” | Terence Ryan, PhD | College of Health and Human Performance, Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology |
Pre-Doctoral Winners
| Name | Research title | mentor | College / Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alessandra Norris | “Uncovering a Novel Mechanism of Intramuscular Fat Formation and Muscle Regeneration” | Daniel Kopinke, PhD | College of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics |
| Ethan Benevides | “Prolonged Diaphragm Activation Using Closed Loop Optogenetic Stimulation” | David Fuller, PhD | College of Public Health and Health Professions, Department of Physical Therapy |
| Ryan Montalvo | “Sexually Dimorphic Respiratory Outcomes in Rats Exposed to Exercise and Doxorubicin” | Ashley J. Smuder, PhD | College of Health and Human Performance, Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology |
The Neuromuscular Plasticity Symposium is sponsored by the interdisciplinary Training in Rehabilitation and Neuromuscular Plasticity (T32 HD043730) and Breathing Research and Therapeutics (T32 HL134621) Training Programs, the Department of Physical Therapy, and the College of Public Health and Health Professions.