CDI Research Day 2025 Features Some of the Institution’s Best and Brightest

The latest findings, and breakthroughs of the future, were featured in the second annual CDI Research Day on Nov. 13.

The CDI's up-and-coming researchers from laboratories encompassing cancer, infectious disease, and other disciplines gave approximately 15 oral presentations, some of which were short-but-sweet “elevator pitches,” in the packed main auditorium, as well as 28 posters presented in the CDI lobby.

The thought-providing full-day event culminated in the keynote, "Team Science in the 21st Century: Introducing the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program," delivered by Judy Aschner, M.D.

CDI Research Day was conceived to provide a platform for postdocs, research associates, and other laboratory staff to present their research findings and to update colleagues on all the latest work across the CDI.

The CDI organizers of the event included event chair - Alvin Makohon-Moore, Ph.D., assistant member of the CDI, co-chair Claire Carter, Ph.D., and Erika Shor, Ph.D., assistant members of the CDI, with coordination by Madhuvika Murugan, Ph.D.

Carter emphasized early on in the proceedings that the day was about trainees and scientists still toward the beginnings of their careers, who most often work with renowned, veteran principal investigators at the CDI.

The day ended with a reception - and some awards for the key work displayed throughout the day. The award-winning presentations include:

• Austin Terlecky, presented his work on “Genomic diversity and topical antimicrobial resistance in Staphylococcus aureus from clinical and carriage populations.” (Oral Presentation - 1st Place)
• Andy Madrid, Ph.D., talked about his work titled -“Analysis of adenoid carinoma (ACC) using long-read sequencing.” (Oral Presentation - 1st Place)
• Raju Shivarathri, Ph.D., delivered “Complement C3 promotes protective pulmonary antifungal response.” (Oral Presentation - 2nd Place)
• Adele Ponzoni, Ph.D, presented her work with “spatial multi-omics” in investigating structures of brain tumor types, incorporating lipid, immunogenic, and metabolic pathways. (Oral Presentation - 3rd Place)
• Richa Mandrekar, Ph.D.’s poster “Environmental Pressures Shape Adaptive Mechanisms Driving Colorectal Cancer Evolution and Growth Kinetics” was the winner in its category. (Poster Presentation - 1st Place)
• Hyun Huh, Ph.D., presented a poster titled “TorsinA ATPase Activity is Essential for ApoB-mediated VLDL Secretion in the ER of Hepatocytes.” (Poster Presentation - 2nd Place)
• Ashely Carlo, D.O., delivered “Role of cell-intrinsic C5AR1 in colorectal cancer survival and chemoresistance.” (Poster Presentation - 3rd Place)

“CDI Research Day is a great way to feature the exceptional work of our earliest stage investigators,” said David Perlin, Ph.D., the CDI’s chief scientific officer.