Conference: Agenda
THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025
10:00 AM–10:30 AM
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
Doug Bittel, PhD, Kansas City University
Mark Hoffman, PhD, Children’s Mercy Research Institute
10:30 AM – 11:30
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Nicholas Tatonetti, PhD. FACMI, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
11:30 AM–1:00 PM
LUNCH & POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Poster presenters will provide a 30-second overview of their research to the entire group of attendees.
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
DATA MANAGEMENT
Moderator: Sharlee Climer, PhD, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Nataliya Kibiryeva, MD, Kansas City University
Navigating the Complex Landscape of Long Non-Coding RNA Research: Challenges and Data Management Strategies
Mariah Chrans, PhD, Community Health Council of Wyandotte County
Fabulous Failures From the Frontlines
Nico Franz, PhD, University of Kansas
Empowering Biodiversity Knowledge Communities
Toni Kazic, PhD, University of Missouri
Managing Data for High Resolution Plant Phenotyping in the Field
PANEL DISCUSSION
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
DATA VISUALIZATION
Moderator: Dong Pei, PhD, University of Kansas Medical Center
Avner Meoded, MD, Children’s Mercy
Children’s Brain By Numbers: From Picture To Connectomics
Laura Miller, PhD, Kansas State University
Visualizing Transcriptomic Biomarkers: Data-Driven Insights for Animal and Human Health Solutions
Tara Finegan, PhD, University of Missouri
Form, Function, and Beauty: Visual Narratives from Microscopy
Student Presenter: Gabriel da Silva Pescador, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
PANEL DISCUSSON
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
BREAK
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
DATA ANALYSIS
Moderator: Irina Pushel, PhD, Children’s Mercy
Yanming Li, PhD, University of Kansas Medical Center
Transcriptomic Gene Network Profiling and Weak Signal Detection for Predicting Ovarian Cancer Occurrence, Survival, and Severity
Sudeepa Bhattacharyya, PhD, University of Missouri Kansas City
Uncovering Geographic Disparities in Colorectal Cancer: A Spatial Modeling Approach to Multidimensional Risk Factor Analysis
Loretta Johnson, PhD, Kansas State University
Taking Genomics Outdoors in the Great Plains: Linking Local Adaptation, Trait Variation, and Gene Expression of Perennial Grass Ecotypes in Prairies Across a Natural and Experimental Precipitation Gradient
Student Presenter: Amanda Gardner – Kay, Kansas City University
PANEL DISCUSSION
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
CAREER PANEL
Moderator: Randy Logan, PhD, BioNexus KC
Kelechi Anuforo, University of Kansas Medical Center
Suman Chaudhary, Eurofins Transplant Genomics
Chris Jones, MatchRite Care
Cole Erdmann, Illuminate.AI
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
NETWORKING & DINNER
FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2025
7:30 AM–8:00 AM
BREAKFAST
8:00 AM–8:10 AM
WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS
Randy Logan, PhD, BioNexus KC
8:10 AM – 9:00 AM
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Mark Hoffman, PhD, Children’s Mercy Research Institute
Welcome to the Jungle – Real World Data Surrounded by Data Gardens
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Moderator: Gayla Olbricht, PhD, Missouri S&T
Hesham Ali, PhD, University of Nebraska Omaha
How to obtain next generation biomarkers Using AI Tools and Network Models?
Jay Unruh, PhD, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
A Protein Language Model to Identify Signatures of Meiotic Transverse Filament Proteins
Suman Maity, PhD, Missouri University of Science & Technology
Beyond Hate: Fact-Based Counter Narratives for Public Health and Digital Well-Being
Student Presenter: Murshalina Akhter, University of Kansas Medical Center
PANEL DISCUSSION
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM–11:30 AM
IMAGE ANALYSIS
Moderator: Martina Clarke, PhD, University of Nebraska Omaha
Azim Ahmadzadeh, PhD, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Unifying Framework for Comparing “Apples to Oranges”
Rong (Rose) Wang, PhD, University of Missouri-Kansas City
Decoding Bio-Spectroscopy Using Artificial Intelligence for Early Cancer Detection
Casey Holliday, PhD, University of Missouri
Contrast Imaging, Comparative Anatomy, and Evolutionary Vertebrate Biomechanics
Student Presenter: Mahsa Khazaei, University of Missouri St. Louis
PANEL DISCUSSION
11:30 AM–12:30 PM
DATA APPLICATION
Moderator: Jenifer Allsworth, PhD, University of Missouri Kansas City
Jennifer Goldman, MD, Children’s Mercy
Real Time Respiratory Viral Surveillance And Environmental Data In Prekindergarten-12th Grade Schools
Jamie Walters, PhD, University of Kansas
Evolutionary Genomics Of Neo-Sex Chromosomes In Monarchs And Related Butterflies
Rohita Sinha, PhD, Eurofins Viracor
Clinical Data, If Not ‘Big Data’ is Certainly ‘Complex data.’ How Do We Manage It?
Robin Verble, PhD, Missouri University of Science & Technology
Careers on Fire—Occupational and environmental factors influencing wildland firefighter success and performance
PANEL DISCUSSION