Cardiovascular Day Archive

2025 – 32nd Annual Cardiovascular Day

March 11th, 2025
Hilton Inn Garden Conference Center

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Meena Madhur

Associate Professor of Medicine
Division Director of Clinical Pharmacology
Indiana University School of Medicine
Dr. Madhur’s research interests are focused on the interplay between the immune system and hypertension, particularly the renal, vascular, and cardiac complications of hypertension. Her long-term goal is to identify novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for this disease. Her early investigations revealed a critical role for the pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin 17A (IL-17A), in angiotensin II induced hypertension and vascular dysfunction. Her laboratory has defined pathways by which IL-17A regulates renal sodium transporters and how salt influences T cells in hypertension. Recently her lab has investigated innate immune mechanisms of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and elucidated how a common genetic polymorphism in LNK/Sh2b3 contributes to hypertension. Dr. Madhur is an active grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and American Heart Association. She also serves as Associate Editor of Clinical Science and Guest Editor of Hypertension. She has authored over 50 papers in high impact journals including the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI), JCI Insight, Circulation Research, Cardiovascular Research, and Hypertension.

Invited speakers

Randi Foraker, PhD – “From Data to Decisions: AI’s Impact on Personalized Healtcare Delivery” – Professor and Chair, Biomedical Informatics, Biostatistics and Medical Epidemiology

Jeffery Boychuk, PhD – “Adjusting Neocortical Microcircuits For Complex Motor Recovery After Stroke” – Assistant Professor, Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences

Natasha Boyes, PhD – “Autonomic Support of Blood Pressure: Sex, Obesity, and Sleep Apnea” – Postdoctoral Fellow, Nutrition & Exercise Physiology, Limberg Lab

Dwight Towler, MD – “Aging and Arteries: Noncanonical Wnt Signaling in Arteriosclerosis” – Professor, Division Director – Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Taixing Cui, MD, PhD – “Janus-faced Nrf2 in heart failure” – Professor, Medical Pharmacology & Physiology

Shaoping Hou, PhD – “Transplanting neural progenitor cells combined with exercise enhances tolerance of cardiac arrhythmias after spinal cord injury” – Associate Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Pathology and Anatomical Sciences

Mei Methawasin, PhD – “Reducing granule formation alleviates cardiac dysfunction caused by a Rbm20 genetic variant” – Assistant Professor, Medical Pharmacology & Physiology

You can view the schedule of events.

You can view the full program.

2025 CVDay Winners

Poster Winners
Undergrad

First Place – Ava Fleury

Graduate

First Place – Mikayla Fraunfelder

Second Place – Amaris Hairston

Post Doctoral/Resident

First Place – Zhe Zhang

Second Place – Hayden Wright

Flash Talk Winners

First Place – Mikayla Fraunfelder

Second Place – Anna Gonsalves

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Event Committee members:
Charles Norton, PhD – Committee Chair and MPP representative
Carie Boychuk, PhD – Dalton and Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences representative
Jessica Cayton, DVM – Trainee representative
Camila Manrique-Acevedo, MD – NextGen representative
Jaume Padilla, PhD – NEP representative
Karol Dinwiddie – Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences representative
Laura McClaskey – Dalton and NextGen representative
Mackenzie Lynch – NextGen representative
Darius Miller – NEP representative
Lisa Putting – MPP representative
John Donahue – IT planning and support representative

2024 – 31st Annual Cardiovascular Day

March 5th, 2024
Hilton Inn Garden Conference Center

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Mark T. Nelson

Chair and University Distinguished Professor
Department of Pharmacology
University of Vermont
Dr. Mark Nelson is known for his research on ion channels and calcium signaling in smooth muscle and endothelial cells, particularly for his work on electrical and local calcium signaling in the brain vasculature and urinary bladder. He was born in New York City, New York and grew up in New Jersey. After graduating from Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts with a degree in Mathematics and Biology, he went to Washington University, Saint Louis, Missouri, where he obtained a Ph.D. in Neural Science with Professor Mordecai Blaustein in 1980. He did postdoctoral work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and Universität Konstanz, Germany, sponsored by Professor Peter Läuger. Dr. Nelson joined the faculty of the University of Vermont in 1986 and became Chair of the Department of Pharmacology in 1995. He has a part-time Professorship at the University of Manchester and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford. Dr. Nelson is a member of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vermont Academy of Sciences and Engineering, and the National Academy of Sciences.
Title Talk: Capillaries as multi-modal sensors of brain activity

Additional speakers

  • Dr. Adebowale Adebiyi – Vasoregulation by endothelin and TRPC3 coupling – Old tracks, new tricks in kidney pathophysiology
  • Dr. Darla Tharp – A Tale of Two Heart Failures from a Vascular Perspective
  • Dr. Skyler King – Surfactant protein A promotes macrophage foam cell formation and atherosclerosis via selective activation of the pro-atherogenic PPAR-gamma signaling pathway
  • Dr. Bettina Mittendorfer – Diet composition and cardiovascular risk: protein, the new kid on the block
  • Dr. Carie Boychuk – Lost in Vagus: Early Impacts of High Fat Diet on Central Cardiac Vagal Function
  • Dr. Yi “Richard” Pan – Selective AT1R Targeting: A Dual Strategy Eliminating AML and Safeguarding the Heart from Cardiotoxicity

Read the full schedule of events.

2024 CVDay Winners

Poster Winners
Undergrad

First Place – Advaya Patro

Graduate

First Place – Gavin Power

Runner Up Masters – Arooj Shahid

Runner Up PhD candidate – Neil Mcmillan

Post Doctoral/Resident

First Place – Julia Estibaliz de la Cruz Conty

Second Place – Natasha Boyes Mostat

Flash Talk Winners

First Place – Jessica Cayton

Runner Up – Hope Welter

Event Committee members

Laurel Grisanti, PhD – Chair
Adebowale Adebiyi, PhD
Julia Estibaliz De la Cruz Conty, PhD
Dain Jacob, Graduate Student
Jill Kanaley, PhD
David Kline, PhD
Charles Norton, PhD
Karol Dinwiddie
Angela Mabe
Laura McClaskey
Lisa Putting
John Donahue

MU Departmental Cardiovascular Day Sponsors:
Department of Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences
Chair: Douglas K. Bowles, PhD, Professor
Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology
Chair: Kerry S. McDonald, PhD, Professor
Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center
Interim Director: R. Scott Rector, PhD, Professor
Nutrition and Exercise Physiology
Interim Chair: Dojin Liu, MD, Professor
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dept. of Medicine
Director: Zhenguo Liu, MD, Professor
NextGen Precision Health Building
Director: R. Scott Rector, PhD, Professor

2023 – 30th Annual Cardiovascular Day

March 7th, 2023
Hilton Inn Garden Conference Center

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Irving H. Zucker

Dr. Irving Zucker is the Theodore. F. Hubbard Professor of Cardiovascular Research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Zucker’s research focuses on the role of the central brain mechanisms on neurohormonal adjustments in cardiovascular regulation in the setting of experimental chronic heart failure. His research group studies the role of substances such as angiotensin II, ACE2, nitric oxide and reactive oxidant stress as important mediators of sympathetic excitation in the setting of chronic heart failure. Dr. Zucker’s research spans molecular, cellular and whole animal techniques as well as exercise interventions. Dr. Zucker’s body of work has provided important, novel information about normal cardiovascular physiology and the pathophysiology of heart failure and cardiovascular disease.

Talk Title: Oxidative Stress, sympathetic nerve activity in heart failure, exercise and aging.

UNMC Bio Page
UNMC Focus Article

Additional speakers

  • Elizabeth Parks, PhD, Professor, Department of Nutrition & Exercise Physiology, “De novo lipogenesis as a key contributor to liver disease”
  • Larissa Ferreira dos Santos, PhD, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Medicine “Neuraminidase causes endothelial phosphatidylserine externalization and ADAM17 activation: implications for shedding of insulin receptor and endothelial insulin resistance”
  • Venkateswaran Subramanian, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, “Novel Role of miR-146a – Beclin-1 Axis in Aortic Aneurysms”
  • Alejandro R. Chade, MD, Professor, Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, Department of Medicine, “Pathophysiology of cardiac failure in chronic kidney disease: Animal models, strategies, and possible future directions”
  • Gabrielle Hofmann, DVM, Graduate Student, Pathobiology Area Program, “Vagotomy blunts nTS neuronal activation and increases cardiovascular and respiratory activity in response to vagal stimulation”

Event Committee members:
Jaume Padilla, PhD
Jacqueline Limberg, Ph.D.
Timothy Domeier, Ph.D.
Nicole Nichols, Ph.D.
Procopio Gama de Barcellos Filho, Ph.D.
Laura McClaskey
Lisa Putting
Karol Dinwiddie

MU Departmental Cardiovascular Day Sponsors:
Department of Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences
Chair: Douglas K. Bowles, PhD, Professor
Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology
Chair: Kerry S. McDonald, PhD, Professor
Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center
Interim Director: Michael A. Hill, PhD, Professor
Nutrition and Exercise Physiology
Interim Chair: Jill Kanaley, PhD, Professor
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dept. of Medicine
Director: Zhenguo Liu, MD, Professor

2022 – 29th Annual Cardiovascular Day

March 1st, 2022
Hilton Inn Garden Conference Center

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Philip Ainslie

As Professor, Canada Research Chair Cerebrovascular Physiology and the co-director of the Centre of Heart, Lung and Vascular Health at the University of British Columbia, Canada, Dr Ainslie’s research program aims to better understand the mechanisms regulating brain blood flow in health, disease and during environmental stress. His diverse expertise in assessing cerebrovascular function during physiological scenarios ranging from sleep to exercise, the stresses of high altitude to deep-sea diving, and healthy aging to heart disease, has made him a leading authority on brain vascular function. His work in cerebrovascular physiology and pathology encompasses the lifespan, with clinical focus on spinal cord injury, lung disease and ischemic brain injuries. Phil has published >350 peer-reviewed full manuscripts and has recently co-authored two textbooks in the area of environmental physiology. In addition to mechanistic laboratory-based experiments he leads regular field expeditions, including various outreach initiatives, to high altitude to study acclimatization and adaptation with particular focus on indigenous populations located in the mountainous regions of Tibet, South America and Ethiopia. Phil has won numerous national and international awards for his research and sits on various senior international scientific leadership and advisory groups. He also currently co-organizes a number of international conferences related to cerebrovascular and environmental physiology.

Talk Title: Cerebral blood flow control in extreme environments: lessons from indigenous high-altitude natives to deep-sea free divers

Bio@UBC

Additional speakers

  • Victoria Vieira-Potter, PhD (Associate Professor Nutrition and Exercise Physiology @MizzouNEPRes)
    Title: Sex, Drugs, and ‘Diet & Exercise’ (Exercise and Estrogen Improve Adipocyte Metabolism)
  • Changyu Sun, PhD (Assistant Professor in Biomedical, Biological and Chemical Engineering and Radiology @mizzouengineer)
  • Ludmila Lima-Silveira, Ph.D (Post-Doc in Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Kline Lab @MUCVM)
  • Aaron Morton, PhD (Post-Doc Medical Pharmacology and Physiolgy, Segal Lab @mumedicine)
    Title: Peripheral nerve regeneration: What does the vasculature have to say about it?
  • Soumen Jana, PhD (Assistant Professor in Biomedical, Biological and Chemical Engineering @mizzouengineer)
    Title: Heart valve scaffold with native-structured leaflets.
  • Shannon Kelly (GRA in Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Emter Lab @MUCVM)
    Title: Fibrotic remodeling of the heart-female sex hormones and chronic pressure.
  • Melissa Terpstra, PhD (Professor in Radiology @mumedicine)

Event Committee members:
Shinghua Ding, PhD
Kevin Cummings, Ph.D.
Luis Polo-Parada, Ph.D.
Ludmila Lima-Silveira, Ph.D.
Laura McClaskey

MU Departmental Cardiovascular Day Sponsors:
Department of Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences
Chair: Douglas K. Bowles, PhD, Professor
Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology
Chair: Kerry S. McDonald, PhD, Professor
Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center
Interim Director: Michael A. Hill, PhD, Professor
Nutrition and Exercise Physiology
Interim Chair: Jill Kanaley, PhD, Professor
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dept. of Medicine
Director: Zhenguo Liu, MD, Professor

2021 – 28th Annual Cardiovascular Day

February 16th, 2021

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Christine Seidman

Christine Seidman seeks to harness and integrate clinical medicine and molecular technologies to define cardiovascular disease-causing gene mutations and genetic variations that increase disease risk. Seidman and her team develop and study human disease tissues, genetically engineered mouse models, and CRISPR/Cas9 genome-edited stem cells, combined with single cell and single nuclei transcriptomics, to define disease mechanisms. Major research projects focus on discovery of the genetic variants and transcriptional responses that result in dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and congenital heart disease. The team aims to translate basic research discoveries into better diagnostics and disease management strategies, as well as novel treatment opportunities.

Keynote Lecture: Relaxation Matters! Lessons from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Bio@BrighamWomens

Additional speakers

  • Craig Emter, PhD (Associate Professor in Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences @Mizzou)
  • Michael Greenberg, PhD (Assistant Professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics @WUSTL)
  • Laurin Hanft, Ph.D (Assistant Teaching Professor in Medical Pharmacology and Physiology @Mizzou)
  • Shanw Bender, PhD (Associate Professor in Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences @Mizzou)
  • Jaapna Dhillon, PhD (Assistant Professor in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology @Mizzou)
  • Rogerio Nogueira-Soares, PhD (Post Doctoral Fellow in Endocrinology @Mizzou)

Poster Awards

Graduate

First Place – Liping Zhang for DOCA-Salt-induced Endothelial Cell Stiffening Occurs via mTORC2/SGK1 mediated Regulation of EnNaC; Mentor: Dr. Michael Hill (Medical Pharmacology and Physiology) Graduate student, MU

Post Doctoral/Resident

First Place – Ludmilla Lima-Silveira, PhD for GABA signaling in the nucleus tractus solitarii following cardiovascular deconditioning; Mentor: Dr. David Kline (Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences) Postdoctoral Fellow, MU

2020 – 27th Annual Cardiovascular Day

February 25th, 2020
Hilton Inn Garden Conference Center

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Peipei Ping

As Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Dr. Ping strives to advance cardiovascular medicine through a better understanding of the regulatory principles of cardiac proteins on a global scale. Her research focuses on developing integrative omics and data science approaches through analytical and computational methods to explain mechanisms of underlying cardiac phenotypes.

Bio@UCLA

Additional speakers

  • De-Pei Li, MD, MSc (Associate Professor, Department of Medicine @Mizzou)
  • Emily Leary, PhD (Assistant Professor, Director, Orthopaedic Biostatistics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine @Mizzou)
  • Nicole Jacobsen (Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology @Mizzou)
  • David Ford, PhD (Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Director Saint Louis University Center for Cardiovascular Research @SLU)
  • Jonathan Silva, PhD (Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering @WUSTL)
  • Kyle McCommis, PhD (Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology @SLU)

Poster Awards

Post Doctoral/Resident

First Place – Zachary Grunewald for TRAF3IP2 Ablation Enhances Vascular Relaxation and Protects Against Obesity-Associated Glycemic Dysregulation an d Elevated Blood Pressure in Male Mice; Ph.D. – DCRC/NEP – Jaume Padilla Lab

Second Place – Aaron Morton for Effective Reinnervation of Skeletal Muscle is Impaired by Disrupting Microvascular Regeneration Following Acute Injury; Ph.D. – MPP – Steven Segal Lab

Third Place – Neekun Sharma for Macrophages and T Cells Differentially Regulate Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Interleukin-12p40 Deficient Apolipoprotein E-Knockout Mice; Ph.D. – DCRC/SOM – Chetan Hans Lab