The Brother Lucian Blersch Endowment and the School of Natural Sciences at St. Edward's University presents
8:50 am: Welcome by Natural Science Dean Jonathan Hodge.
9:00 am: “Optimizing pediatric cancer treatment and survivorship.”
Joya Chandra, PhD
Professor, Department of Pediatrics Research and department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, co-Director of the Center for Energy Balance in Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
10:00 am: “Youth-onset type 2 diabetes: Epidemiology, pathophysiology, and implications for health.”
Elizabeth T. Jensen, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Prevention, Center for Vaccines at the Extremes of Aging, Women in Medicine and Science, Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, Center on Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
11:00 am: “Using immunotherapeutic strategies to combat tumors.”
Todd A. Triplett, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Student Poster Session Abstracts
JOYA CHANDRA, PHD
Dr. Chandra is a professor in pediatrics and in the department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis. Her team carries out translational pediatric oncology research directed towards leukemia and brain tumor therapeutics with an emphasis on cell signaling, oxidative stress, epigenetics and cell death. She also she leads clinical research related to diet and nutrition for pediatric cancer patients and survivors. Dr. Chandra has been recognized for excellence in education and mentorship by her institutional peers with numerous awards including induction into the prestigious UT Academy of Health Science Education. She serves on numerous study sections and co-leads multiple NIH grants and has published over one hundred journal articles.
ELIZABETH T. JENSEN, PHD, MPH
Dr. Jensen earned her BA from the New College of Florida and her MPH and PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. is a pediatric epidemiologist whose research interests include obesity, diabetes mellitus, and gastrointestinal diseases. She is an associate professor in Epidemiology & Prevention with affiliations in the Center on Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism as well as the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity. She has been active in a number of many large studies including the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study and the Microbiome and Insulin Longitudinal Evaluation study. She has authored dozens of papers and is active in the American Gastroenterological Association.
TODD A. TRIPLETT, PHD
Dr. Triplett earned his BS from St. Edward’s University and he holds a doctorate in molecular immunology from Oregon Health and Science University. He is an assistant professor in the department of immunotherapeutics and biotechnology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He has conducted research in diverse backgrounds that include T-cell biology, oncology and the interplay between the immune system and tumors. He is currently applying this background to identify effective immunotherapeutic strategies tailored to specific molecular tumor types.