2023/2024 Research Symposium

Poster Presentations and Reception

Congratulations to the ten students who received awards for outstanding posters!

Omodasola Adekeye University of Maine/Biomedical Science
- Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Type Q (Ptprq) is involved in the maintenance of glomerular filtration barrier integrity
Nnamdi Baker University of Maine/Microbiology
- Using intravital imaging in zebrafish to understand signaling underlying innate immune response to C. albicans infection.
Riley Bosco Bangor High School
- Bio-IVP: The Biodegradable Intravenous Packet
Samantha Costa GSBSE/MHIR
- PD-L1 Expressing Myeloid Cells Promote Bone Marrow Immunosuppression and Osteoclastogenesis with Diet-induced Obesity
Sophie Craig GSBSE/University of Maine
- Cell-type specific mechanisms of JC polyomavirus infection
Cory Diemler GSBSE/University of Maine
- Microglia Depletion Results in Increased Susceptibility to Ocular Hypertension-Dependent Glaucoma

Gabriela Johnson GSBSE/University of Maine and MDI Biological Laboratory
- Development of two mechanistically distinct transgenic in vivo axolotl cell-ablation systems at various life stages
Monique Mills GSBSE/University of Maine
- The Role and Regulation of TRP53 in the oocyte’s response to radiation-induced damage
Michayla Moore GSBSE/MHIR
- ALK1 Coordinates Pro-Angiogenic Sclerostin, CD105, and IGFBP3 Secretion Following Preconditioning with BMP9 in Human Cardiac Progenitor Cells
Mohamad Zaid GSBSE/University of Maine
- Sex-based differences in ophthalmic and central retinal artery velocity: From the heart to the eye analysis

Thank you to our judges!

Ahmed Almaghasilah, Amanda Collamore, Anastasia Paulmann, Arturo Hernandez, Ben Harrison, Ben King, Caitlin Howell, Colleen Marzilli, Cory Johnson, Dustin Updike, Greg Cox, Hannah Lust, Hermann Haller, Iain Drummond, Janet Yancey-Wrona, Jared Talbot, Melody Neely, Meredith Theeman, Michael Babcock, Michael Mason, Prayag Murawala, Rob Koza, Rob Wheeler, Ron Korstanje, Steve Sutton, Suzanne Angeli, Zhao Xuan, Ziru Li, Kelly Klein

Thank you to our Symposium Organizing Committee!

David Harder, Ph.D.

University Research Professor of Medicine; Director UMaine Institute of Medicine

Hermann Haller, MD

President, Professor, MDI Biological Laboratory
Professor, Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School

Karen L. Houseknecht, Ph.D.

University of New England

James W. Jarvis, MD, FAAFP

Director of Clinical Education, Eastern Maine Medical Center, Senior Physician Executive, System Incident Command, Northern Light Health

Nadia Rosenthal, Ph.D.

FMedSci, FAAHMS, Scientific Director and Professor, the Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genetics

Kevin Stein, Ph.D.

Director of the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute (MMCRI).

Douglas Sawyer, MD

Chief Academic Officer, Maine Medical Center and Maine Health, Co-Director, Myocardial Biology and Heart Failure Laboratory, Maine Medical Center Research Institute

Raimond Winslow, Ph.D.

Director of Life Science and Medicine Research; Professor of Bioengineering.

Jeremy Qualls, Ph.D.

Dean and Professor
College of Science, Technology, and Health

Thank you to our Sponsors!

BioME

MDI BioScience

Maine Technology Institute

Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering

IDEXX

SimKit

Posters Listings

2024 Poster listings, Students, Faculty and MERGE

2024 Poster listings, Students, Faculty and MERGE pdf

2024 Poster Session Full Abstracts

2024 Poster Session Full Abstracts pdf

2023/2024 Schedule

Agenda – Wednesday & Thursday, March 27 & 28, 2024

8:30–8:40 a.m.
Introduction and Welcoming Remarks
Lenard W. Kaye, DSW, PhD, Director, Center on Aging; Professor, School of Social Work; and Interim Director, Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME; Richard J. Hodes, MD, Director, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Invited)

8:40–9:30 a.m.
Erectile Dysfunction: Modern Diagnosis and Treatment
Graham T. VerLee, MD, Primary Care Practitioner, Maine Medical Partners Urology and Stephens Center for Specialty Care, South Portland and Norway, ME

Sexual Health After Menopause
Christina Theriault, MSN, BSN, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Maine Family Planning, Fort Kent and
Presque Isle, ME

9:30–10:10 a.m.
Age is Not a Condom: Medications and Sexual Health in Older Adults
Gabrielle E. Hill, PharmD, BCPS, PACT Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner, VA Maine Healthcare System, Portland, ME;
Leslie A. Ochs, PharmD, PhD, BCPS, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Togus Veterans
Affairs Medical Center, Augusta, ME

10:10–10:50 a.m.
Sexuality at any Age: Debunking Common Myths About Sexuality and Aging
Christine M. Curley, PhD, JD, Visiting Assistant Professor, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT

10:50–11:10 a.m.
Break (Stretch, take a short walk, or just relax!)

11:10 a.m.–12:10 p.m.
PANEL: Diverse Perspectives on Sexuality and Intimacy in Later Life
Facilitator: Cliff Singer, MD, DFAPA, AGSF, Chief, Center for Geriatric Cognitive and Mental Health, Director,
Mood and Memory Clinic and the Robert C. Strauss Neurocognitive Research Program, Northern Light Acadia
Hospital and Research Professor, University of Maine, Orono, ME
Panelists: Sandra L. Caron, PhD, Professor, of Family Relations/Human Sexuality and Program Coordinator,
Human Development & Family Studies, University of Maine, Orono, ME; James Moorhead, Healthy Aging
Services Manager, Office of Aging and Disability Services, Maine Department of Health and Human Services,
Augusta, ME; Thomas Meuser, PhD, Director, Center for Excellence in Aging & Health, Clinical Psychologist &
Applied Gerontologist, and Professor of Health, Wellness & Occupational Studies University of New England,
Portland, ME

12:10–1 p.m.
Lunch Break

12:20–12:50 p.m.
Special Luncheon Presentation (Sponsored by Desert Harvest) Lifelong Desire: Insights into Sexual Well-Being
After 50
Amanda Gesselman, PhD, Associate Director for Research, Head of Research Analytics and Methodology
Core, Anita Aldrich Endowed Research Scientist, and Research Fellow, Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention,
Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

1:00–2:00 p.m.
CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP A: Experiencing the Benefits of Yoga to Enhance Sexuality as We Age
Melora Gregory, Yoga Instructor E-RYT 500, meloraYoga.com, Portland, ME

WORKSHOP B: Frisky Business: The Importance of Comprehensive Sex Positive Education for Aging and
Sexual Health in Adults 65+
Gwendolyne Tuttle, MSW, LCSW, Clinical Coordinator, Cornerstones of Maine, and Psychotherapist, Portland,
ME; Lacee DeLorey, Program Coordinator, Cornerstones of Maine, Biddeford, ME

WORKSHOP C: Sex and Seniors: Supporting the Rights of Sexual Expression While Protecting the Vulnerable
Kelly McCarthy, NIDE, BC-Ded, Vice President, Resident Engagement and Memory Care Services, Northbridge
Communities, Burlington, MA

2:00–2:20 p.m.
Break (Stretch, take a short walk, or just relax!)

2:20–3:00 p.m.
PANEL: First Person Narratives on Intimacy, Relationships, and Sexuality by Adults Living with Dementia
Facilitator: Susan Wehry, MD, PI/Director, AgingME, Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP),
Department of Primary Care, College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of New England, Biddeford, ME
Panelists: Members, Dementia Action Alliance (DAA), Charlottesville, VA

3:00–3:15 p.m.
Closing and Evaluation
Lenard W. Kaye, DSW, PhD, Director, Center on Aging, Professor, School of Social Work, and Interim Director,
Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME

Keynote

9:15 – 9:45 Keynote Speaker: Clifford Singer, MD at Northern Light Acadia Hospital

Keynote Address: UMaine Institute of Medicine Distinguished Mental Health Lecture on: Impact of Alzheimer disease in older adults

Session Topic: Mental Health; Session Chair: Rebecca MacAulay, PhD Associate Professor of Psychology at UMaine; Session Time: 9:45 – 12:00

9:45 – 10:00 Speaker: Jennifer Blossom, PhD Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at UMaine

Presentation on: Brief intervention for youth suicide risk in primary care

10:00 – 10:15 Speaker: Krutika Rathod, Graduate Student in Clinical Psychology at UMaine

Presentation on: Social determinants of cannabis use in rural young adults

10:15 – 10:30 Speaker: Briana (Bree) Taylor, PhD Research Assistant Professor of Life Sciences & Medical Research at The Roux Institute

Presentation on: Sleep Health in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

10:30 – 10:45 Speakers: Irene Harris, PhD Clinical Research Psychologist at the VA and Timothy Usset, MPH Research Health Scientist at the VA

Presentation on: Collaborative moral inquiry care with religious leaders: The state of clergy and chaplain well-being

10:45 – 11:00 Speaker: Karen Houseknecht, PhD Professor of Pharmacology, Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship at UNE

Presentation on: Beyond Obesity: Exploring Mechanisms Underlying Medication Associated Metabolic Liver Disease (MASLD) in Mental Illness

11:00 – 11:15 Speaker: Rebecca MacAulay, PhD Associate Professor of Psychology at UMaine

Presentation on: The MAM pilot study: Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of mindfulness as an intervention of cognitive decline

11:15 – 11:30 Speaker: Fayeza Ahmed, PhD Assistant Professor of Psychology at UMaine

Presentation on: Cognitive performance following exercise intervention

11:30 – 11:45 Speaker: Stephen Aita, PhD Clinical Neuropsychologist at the VA

Presentation on: Racial Disparities in Neurocognitive Disorders

11:45 – 12:00 Speaker: Lisbeth Balligan, MPH Research Program Director at MaineHealth Institute for Research

Presentation on: Community and stakeholder engagement in translational research

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

Panel Discussion I; Panel Moderator: Jeffrey Hecker, PhD Professor and Director of Clinical Training in Psychology at UMaine; Panel Time: 1:00 – 2:00

Panel discussion on: Factors impacting mental health research in rural Maine

Panelists:

Lisbeth Balligan, MPH Research Program Director at MaineHealth Institute for Research
Katherine Weatherford Darling, PhD Assistant Professor of Health Science – School of Nursing at UMaine
John Gale, MS Senior Research Associate, Population Health & Health Policy Program at USM
Jamie Wren, PhD Candidate Research Associate, Program Director at Margaret Chase Smith Center

2:00 – 2:15 Break

Panel Discussion II; Panel Moderator: Alan Cobo-Lewis, PhD Associate Professor of Psychology at UMaine; Panel Time: 2:15 – 3:15

Panel discussion on: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Panelists:

Katherine Simmonds, PhD Associate Director of Health Science at the Roux Institute (Northeastern)
Avery Olmstead (community member)
Ezekiel Kimball, PhD Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Teacher Education UMaine College of Ed
Salem Runyon-Baruch, Director of Development and Community Engagement at New Mainers Public Health Initiative
Patricia Goodhines, PhD Assistant Professor of Psychology at UMaine
Ralph Cammack, MPH Director of Research at Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness

Session Topic: Mental Health; Session Chair: Jeffrey Hecker, PhD Professor and Director of Clinical Training in Psychology at UMaine; Session Time: 3:15 – 4:00

3:15 – 3:30 Speaker: Patricia Goodhines, PhD Assistant Professor of Psychology at UMaine

Presentation on: Risk Mechanisms Underlying Youth Substance Use & Sleep Health

3:30 – 3:45 Speaker: Julia Plumb, PhD Candidate Clinical Psychology at UMaine

Presentation on: Implementation of Psychosis Risk Documentation in Adolescent Behavioral Health Referrals

3:45 – 4:00 Speaker: Sarah Lynch, LCSW at MaineHealth

Presentation on: Statewide early psychosis specialty care – current services and future directions

Hudson Museum
Poster boards will be ready by 1:30 pm on Wednesday March 27. Posters should be up no later than 4:00 pm and removed at the end of the poster session, no later than 7:00 pm.

6:30 – 8:00 Banquet (dinner requires ticket purchased at registration), dinner will be served at 6:45
Wells Conference Center

2023/2024 Symposium Gallery