Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13, 2026
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Poster abstract submission open from Monday, November 3 to Friday, December 19.
General registration open from Monday, January 5 to Friday, January 30.
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Agenda
Thursday, March 12 | Innovation Lab
650 Tim Bradley Way, Rolla, MO 65409
4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.: Lab-To-Market Workshop
"Is The Problem Real? Aligning Research Innovation with a Real-World Need"
Sunjeev Phull, PhD | NextGen Precision Health Postdoctoral Fellow
5:00 p.m. - 5:05 p.m.: Welcoming Remarks
Dave Arnold, MD | Executive Director, NextGen Precision Health initiative
5:05 p.m. - 5:20 p.m.: Missouri S&T's Biomedical Innovation Ecosystem Vision
Mohammad Dehghani, PhD | Chancellor, Missouri S&T
5:20 p.m. - 5:35 p.m.: Missouri S&T’s Research Enterprise
Kamal Khayat, PhD | Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Missouri S&T
5:35 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.: Biomedical Research Synergies at S&T
- David Borrok, PhD | Dean, College of Engineering and Computing
- Mehrzad Boroujerdi, PhD | Dean, College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
- Jim Sterling, PhD | Dean, Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development
6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.: Evening Reception
- Poster presenters check in
- Free professional headshots available
- Light refreshments and networking
Friday, March 13 | The Havener Center
1346 N Bishop Ave, Rolla, MO 65409
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Registration, Coffee & Poster Set Up (Sessions A & B)
8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.: Welcome and Housekeeping
8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.: Keynote: Sandra "Sandy" Magnus
- "Curiosity-Driven Innovation in a Complex World"
9:50 a.m. - 11:10 a.m.: Faculty Theme Talks - Session A
- Sunjeev Phull, PhD | NextGen Fellow | Missouri S&T Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- "Glass-Based Cements for the Treatment of Metastatic Bone Cancer"
- Anthony Convertine, PhD | Missouri S&T Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry
- "PISA Printing: A New Platform for Programmable Biomaterials and Precision Tissue Models"
- Jill Delston, PhD | UMSL Philosophy
- "Precision Health Ethics"
- R. Scott Rector, PhD | Mizzou Nutrition & Exercise Physiology
- "Bioenergetic Failure in Liver Disease: Rebooting the Mitochondrial Engine"
- Karl Kador, PhD | UMKC Ophthalmology
- "Using Tissue Engineering and 3D Bioprinting to Direct Retinal Growth"
- Tareq Nabhan, OD | UMSL Optometry
- "Scalable Emerging Eyecare Solutions (SEES)"
- "Scalable Emerging Eyecare Solutions (SEES)"
11:10 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: Break / Poster Session A
12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.: Lunch / Networking
1:15 p.m. - 2:35 p.m.: Faculty Theme Talks - Session B
- Sandy Saunders, PhD | NextGen Fellow | Mizzou Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences
- "Stress Promotes Bezold Jarisch Reflex Plasticity in Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy"
- Gina Yosten, PhD | Missouri S&T Biological Sciences
- "Spatial Molecular Imaging of the Human Pancreas: Implications for Understanding the Etiology of Diabetes"
- Bret Ulery, PhD | Mizzou Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
- "Biomodulatory Materials"
- Badri Adhikari, PhD | UMSL Computer Science
- "Explainable AI Across Scales of Health: From Proteins to Patients"
- Hillary McGraw, PhD | UMKC Biological and Biomedical Systems
- "Zebrafish as a Model to Study Cellular Development and Regeneration"
- Ryan Gilbert, PhD | Missouri S&T Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- "Polymerized Curcumin for the Treatment of Neurological Injury"
- "Polymerized Curcumin for the Treatment of Neurological Injury"
2:35 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.: Break / Poster Session B
3:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Break / Tallying Poster Votes
4:00 p.m.: Poster Presentation Awards and Closing
Agenda is subject to change prior to the event dates.
60-Second Keynote Preview
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KEYNOTE SPEAKERDr. Sandra H. “Sandy” Magnus is the Principal at AstroPlanetview, LLC and a part-time Professor of the Practice at Georgia Tech. Most recently she was employed by MITRE to act in the capacity of a “temporary government employee” as the Chief Engineer to establish the Traffic Coordination System for Space in the Office of Space Commerce in the Department of Commerce. Dr. Magnus retired from federal service as the Deputy Director of Engineering in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for the Undersecretary of Research and Engineering. In that role she served as the “Chief Engineer” for the DoD, establishing engineering policy, propagating best practices, and working to connect the engineering community across the department. Prior to joining the DoD, she served as the Executive Director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. Selected to the NASA Astronaut Corps in April 1996, Dr. Magnus flew in space on the STS-112 shuttle mission in 2002, and on the final shuttle flight, STS-135, in 2011. In addition, she flew to the International Space Station on STS-126 in November 2008, served as flight engineer and science officer on Expedition 18, and returned home on STS-119 after four and a half months on board. Following her assignment on Station, she served at NASA Headquarters in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Her last duty at NASA, after STS-135, was as the deputy chief of the Astronaut Office. Before joining NASA, Dr. Magnus worked for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Company from 1986 to 1991, as a stealth engineer. While at McDonnell Douglas, she worked on internal research and development and on the Navy’s A-12 Attack Aircraft program, studying the effectiveness of radar signature reduction techniques. She is a Fellow of AIAA, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and has been inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame. |
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MASTER OF CEREMONIESDavid Fulk became an active volunteer with KCUR in 2005 and was named their Volunteer of the Year in 2010. He joined the KCUR staff in 2014 to build a major giving program and serves on the station’s Leadership Team. |
Faculty Theme Talks
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Bret Ulery, PhD |
Badri Adhikari, PhD |
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Hillary McGraw, PhD |
Ryan Gilbert, PhD |
NextGen Fellows Flash Talks
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View Recordings from Pathways 2025
NextGen Precision Health’s PATHWAYS symposium draws on pathbreaking work from across the University of Missouri System to celebrate research collaborations with the potential to impact global health.
On average in the U.S., it takes 14 years for a new treatment to make it from the discovery phase to a clinical patient. We believe we can accelerate that time frame if all segments of the translational science pipeline are engaged from the beginning. At the PATHWAYS symposium, research faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students from a broad range of disciplines will build understanding to lower research barriers and jump start new projects.
Keep an eye out for more email updates about:
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The agenda will promote a dual mission: accelerating discoveries and fostering discoverers. The symposium will provide networking opportunities for experts across our four universities and give young researchers a pragmatic approach for connecting to other fields and the translation process. By making each of our contributions accessible and relevant across domains, we can leverage our strengths and ultimately impact quality of life around the world.
Sponsors
Download this informational flyer to learn how your organization can sponsor Pathways. Inquiries can be directed to nextgen@umsystem.edu.
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Questions?
Contact the NextGen Precision Health initiative at nextgenpathways@umsystem.edu.
Reviewed 2026-03-10