Purpose

About

The 2025-2026 APSA Northeast regional conference is designed to bring together current physician-scientist trainees as well as undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career medicine and research. For more regional meetings please go to the APSA website

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Target Audience

This conference is designed for undergraduate and postbac students interested in pursuing a physician-scientist career, Current MD/DO-PhD students, residents and fellows engaged in research, early-career physician-scientists and established physician-scientists interested in mentoring the next generation

Registration

To register, fill out the appropriate form based on your training stage.

Abstract submission and Award application

To be considered for poster or oral (flash talk) presentations, an abstract needs to be submitted on a seperate Google Form. Finally, to help offset travel expenses, we will be distributing travel awards to trainees.

Travel and Accommodation Information

Getting to the University of Rochester

The meeting will be taking place at the Flaum Atrium at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

By Air

Consider flying to the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC) located a few miles from the University of Rochetser campus

By Train

Amtrak trains from Boston, New York and Toronto stop at the Louise M. Slaughter station.

By Car and Parking

Stony Brook University is easily accesible by car. Parking options are avilable.

On-Campus Accommodation

The closest hotel to the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry is the Hilton Garden Inn

Accessibility

University of Rochester is committed to accessibility. All conference venues and recommended accommodations are ADA-compliant. If you require any specific accommodations, please contact us at mstprochester@gmail.com for any assistance

Schedule

Time Session Features & Speakers
8:30a Check-In Coffee, Breakfast, Poster Set-Up, Mingle
9:00a Introductions from Stony Brook University and APSA This session will feature opening remarks from the Deans of Stony Brook Medicine and an APSA representative

Peter Igarashi, MD

Michael Frohman, MD, PhD

Rohini Guin (APSA)

9:30a Keynote I: Pioneering Clinical Investigation This session features a career physician-scientist who will share details about their career and personal journey, sharing pearls of wisdom along the way.

Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD

10:20a Plenary Session I: Communicating your Science Beyond the Laboratory This session will feature three perspectives for communicating science based on the intended audience. Each speaker will have 20 minutes.
  1. General Audience
    • Nancee Moes, MFA
    • Elizabeth Bojsza, MFA
  2. Legislative Audience
    • Lauren Brookmeyer, MA
  3. Venture Capitalists
    • Meilin Chan, PhD
11:20a Flash talks Graduate students will present their accepted flash talks
12:00p Lunch Lunch, Introductions and ice-breaker questions with tablemates
1:00p Poster Session Poster presentations from all trainees (undergraduates through graduate school)
2:00p Roundtable Discussion This session gathers several roundtable facilitators. Attendees can select which group to join. We will ask attendees to rotate every 20 minutes. The roundtable topics include:
  1. Unique Challenges for Under-represented in Medicine Trainees & Applicants
    • Michelle Juarez, PhD
    • Inel J. Lewis, MPA
  2. Community College Pathways to MD/DO-PhD programs
    • Jennie Williams, PhD
    • Anthony Chesebro (APSA)
  3. Balancing responsibilities as a surgeon scientist
    • Helen Hsieh, MD, PhD
  4. Parenting as a Trainee
    • Bettina Fries, MD
    • Olga C Aroniadis, MD, MS
  5. Research in residency and transition awards
    • Sandeep Mallipattu, MD
    • Neil A Nadkarni, MD
  6. Industry Careers for Physician-Scientists
    • Christopher Ashdown, MD-PhD Candidate
  7. Advocacy as a physician-scientist training
    • Aliya Siddiqui, MS, MD-PhD Candidate
3:00p Keynote II: Fireside Chat with an Icon This session features a speaker who can speak to their illustrious career across sectors as a physician-scientist leader.

Harold Varmus, MD

4:00p Admissions Panel Discussion This session will include two concurrent panels based on trainee-specific needs
  1. PSTP/Research in Residency admissions
    • Charles Emala, MD
    • Christopher Pettinger, MD, PhD
    • Emily Gallagher, MD, PhD
  2. MD/DO-PhD admissions
    • Michael Frohman, MD, PhD
    • Natalie Lo (APSA)
5:00p Closing Remarks Isabelle Kwan (APSA)
5:00p onwards Social at The Bench

Come mix and mingle with other attendees!

Location: 1095 North Country Road, Stony Brook, New York 11790, United States

Speakers

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Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD

Jeanette D. Hsu Endowed Chair in Cell Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center

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Harold Varmus, MD

Lewis Thomas University Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine

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Helen Hsieh, MD, PhD

Clinical Assistant Professor, Stony Brook University

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Christopher Pittenger, MD, PhD

Mears & Jameson Professor and Deputy Chair for Translational Research, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine

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Charles W. Emala, Sr., MS, MD

Henrik H. Bendixen Professor & Vice Chair for Research, Columbia University

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Peter Igarashi, MD

Knapp Dean, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University

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Nancee Moes, M.F.A.

Assistant Professor of Practice, SBU School of Communication & Journalism; Professional Programming Lead, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science

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Inel J. Lewis, MPA

Director, Diversity Initiatives, Renaissance School of Medicine

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Lauren Brookmeyer, MA

Associate Vice President and Head of DC Office for Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine

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Michael Frohman, MD, PhD

Director, Medical Scientist Training Program, Stony Brook University

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Neil A. Nadkarni, MD

Assistant Professor, Stony Brook University

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Emily Gallagher, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Diseases. Director of ABIM Research Pathway, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Mount Sinai

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Sandeep Mallipattu, MD

Chief, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Stony Brook University

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Michelle Juarez, PhD

Diversity Outreach Coordinator, Stony Brook University

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Jennie L. Williams, PhD

Assistant Dean For Student Diversity and Aligned Pre-Doctoral Programs & Associate Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, SBU Cancer Center, Stony Brook University

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Bettina Fries, MD

Chief of Infectious Diseases, Stony Brook University

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Olga C. Aroniadis, MD, MSc, FACG

Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stony Brook University

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Elizabeth Bojsza, MFA

Alda-Certified Facilitator, Assistant Professor of Practice, Stony Brook University

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Christopher Ashdown

MD-PhD candidate at Stony Brook University

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Aliya Siddiqui

Medical Student Trustee of the AMA

Organizers

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Rohini Guin

Conference Chair

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Isabelle Kwan

Conference Chair

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Natalie Lo

Conference Chair

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Shrey Thaker

Conference Chair

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Anthony Chesebro

Conference Chair

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Alexander Cicala

Events Committee

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Allison Galante

PR Committee

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Camelia Zheng

Outreach Committee

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Danielle Xie

Grants Committee

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Julian Maceren

Events Committee

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Margalit Mitzner

Outreach Committee

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Naheel Khatri

Grants Committee

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Raisa Karim

PR Committee

Sponsors