Kidney Pipeline Programs presents: Summer Research Rally
This summer, Kidney Pipeline Programs hosted a seminar series entitled Research Rally. Every week throughout June and July, faculty and trainee(s) presented to our summer scholars and other members Kidney, Urology, and Hematology in the Heersink School of Medicine at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Scroll through to learn more about Research Rally!
The first Research Rally featured Division Chair, Dr. Timmy Lee, a Nephrologist within the Division of Nephrology. He discussed the global impact of kidney disease and the breakthroughs happening in nephrology research. This informational talk by Dr. Lee was given during the Lab Coat Ceremony, which kicks off the summer research programs.
The next three events featured trainees showcasing faculty research across the KUH field through a Networking Poster session, 10–minute scientific talks, and “Five-Finger Advocacy.” The first two formats served as a great introduction for summer students on how to deliver oral and poster presentations about their research and informed them about various types of current research at UAB. The last format begins with an introduction of yourself and your credentials, then transitions to the issue being presented. The speaker then explains why this topic is important to them and why the audience should care. The final part of the speech is to provide the audience with a tangible action item that can help address the issue. This offered a different way for the summer scholars to learn how to present their research to all audiences.
Dr. Palaniappan Sethu, Biomedical Engineering, spoke on the current and future research in the cardiovascular field. Dr. Julie Kanter, a leading Sickle Cell Disease researcher and physician. She discussed the importance of researching the disease and talked about breakthrough treatments in this disease and her personal history in creating and implementing these treatments on a widespread level, such as horizontal care.
Dr. Thomas Chi, new Department Chair of Urology, talked about his, improvements to the field and treatment of urology and kidney stones, and encouraged the summer trainees to dream big and focus on what they value.
Summer 2025 PROMOTE Scholars presented their research to a community audience at Discoveries in the Making. The event was held at a local restaurant and was another opportunity for the KURE students, and the general public could learn about what the PROmoTE students were researching throughout the summer.
The Final Research Rally was a highly engaging talk by Orlando Guttiérrez about translational research. This talk was given at the PROmoTE End of Year Celebration. His talk focused on how research is translated from stage to stage for it to be ultimately implemented in the medical field.
As this was the inaugural year of the Summer Research Rally, we are pleased with the impact that it made, the participation from all areas of the KUHmmunity, and the impressive researchers who made it possible. We look forward to next summer, when scholars and faculty alike can participate and learn from one another both on campus at UAB and through a virtual link open to all in the KUH PRIME community at Augusta, Tulane, and UAB.