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The 2026 RUSH Mentoring Programs 12th Annual Symposium will take place on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
View Flyer: 2026 RMP Symposium Flyer
View Program: TBD
Podium Presentations
Format: In person
Time: Noon-3:00 p.m.
Location: Searle Conference Center (Brainard, 5th Floor of Professional Building)
Poster Session & Reception
Format: In Person
Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Location: Searle Conference Center (Billings/Herrick, 5th Floor of Professional Building)
Virtual Poster Session
Time: From October 1 at 3:00 p.m. to October 2 at 5:00 p.m.
Location: VoiceThread (asynchronous)
If you have any questions about the symposium, email us at mentoringprograms@rush.edu.
2026 Agenda
| Time | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 - 12:05 p.m. | Introductory Remarks | Amarjit S. Virdi, PhD Director, Rush Mentoring Programs Office of Faculty Affairs Rush University |
| 12:05 - 12:35 p.m. | Keynote Speaker | Pete S. Batra, MD, FACS, FARS Henry P. Russe, MD, Dean, Rush Medical College Senior Vice President, Rush University System for Health Professor, Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery |
2026 Cohn Fellow Presentations | ||
| 12:35 - 12:50 p.m. | Tracking antimicrobial resistance transmission across multiple high prevalence low- and middle- income settings | Ahmed Babiker, MBBS, MSc, FIDSA Assistant Professor Department of Internal Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases Rush Medical College |
| 12:50 - 1:05 p.m. | Evaluation of novel RyR1 stabilizers to improve muscle performance during aging | Lourdes Carolina Figueroa, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Physiology and Biophysics Rush Medical College |
| 1:05 - 1:20 p.m. | Beyond Daily Cleaning: Evaluating a Continuously Active Disinfectant Against Carbapenemase-Producing Organisms | Rachel Medernach, MD, MSCI Assistant Professor Department of Internal Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases Rush Medical College |
| 1:20 - 1:35 p.m. | Salivary Cortisol and Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer Disease in Older Adults | Ted K.S. Ng, PhD Assistant Professor Rush Institute for Healthy Aging Department of Internal Medicine Rush Medical College |
| 1:35 - 1:50 p.m. | Award Announcements | |
| 1:50 - 2:00 p.m. | BREAK | |
2026 Abstract Winner Presentations | ||
| 2:00 - 2:15 p.m. | Therapy-induced AR–B7-H3 axis drives immune exclusion and adaptive resistance in melanoma | Adrian Mansini, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Dermatology and Urology Rush Medical College |
| 2:15 - 2:30 p.m. | Lysostaphin-encoding mRNA as a novel tool to target Staphylococcus aureus | Adrienn Markovics, MD, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Internal Medicine Division of Rheumatology Rush Medical College |
| 2:30 - 2:45 p.m. | Designing and development of a novel therapeutic peptide targeting αvβ3 integrin in proteinuric kidney diseases. | Alexis Paulina Jimenez-Uribe, DVM, MS, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Internal Medicine Division of Nephrology Rush Medical College |
| 2:45 - 3:00 p.m. | Depletion of renal cortical collecting duct-secreted PCSK9 in early proteinuria prevents sustained nephrotic syndrome-related hypercholesterolemia | Itzel Pamela Zavala Guevara, MS, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Internal Medicine Division of Nephrology Rush Medical College |
| Poster and Networking Reception – In Person (Billings/Herrick) From 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. | ||
| Virtual Poster Session - VoiceThread (Asynchronous) From October 1st at 3:00 p.m. to October 2nd at 5:00 p.m. | ||