2019 APSA Midwest Regional Conference

The Mayo Clinic American Physician Scientists Association (APSA) chapter hosted the 2019 APSA Midwest Regional Conference on October 5. APSA is a student led organization focused on addressing the needs of future physician scientists.

Trainees from all stages - from undergraduates to fellows were invited to attend. Alumna Mikayla Schmidt played a key role in organizing this event and encouraged participation from UMR students and alumni. UMR alumna, Alecia Alto served on the conference, served on the conference subcommittee tasked with arranging a breakout session titled ‘Translating from Bench to Bedside’.

Approximately 50 posters were presented in various categories: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Pharmacology and Physiology, Clinical Research, and Social Sciences and Humanities. UMR students Tyler Steele and Daniel Turin also presented their research. 

The keynote address was given by Dr. Andre Larochelle, MD PhD. Dr. Larochelle is a staff clinician in the NHLBI Hematology Branch and a tenure track Investigator who also serves as an attending physician in the hematopoietic stem cell transplant inpatient service at the NIH Clinical Center. His laboratory is investigating novel strategies and stem cell concepts to advance the translational field of regenerative medicine, with a focus on inherited disorders affecting blood-forming hematopoietic stem cells.