Information Part 1
2024 College of Pharmacy Research Day
The 15th Annual Research day was a great success, with 78 posters presented, a fantastic keynotelecturer by Dr. James Moon, and great participation from our alumni and external colleagues from industry, including 48 poster judges. We would like to thank our University supporters (UI Health Research Registry, OTM Innovate@UIC, UI Cancer Center, AAPS, ISPOR, and ISPE) and other outside donors (Swanson Family Research Day Fund) that provided funds for the event and poster awards.
Speakers & Awards

Keynote Presentation: ” Resurrecting the Intestinal Microbiota to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens“
J. G. Searle Professor
Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Hans W. Vahlteich Research Award: “The Impact of Short-chain Fatty Acids on Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications“
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice

Research Impact Award: Pharmacognosy, 1990
Dean & Professor
Pharmaceutical Sciences, School Pharmacy
University of Wisconsin-Madison
2023 Graduate Student Awards and External Trainee Awards
This year, we have given out over $36,000 in graduate student awards & scholarships, travel awards, and recruiting scholarships. To see who received which award and for the list of other significant external awards received by our graduate students and postdocs, click on the link below.
2024 Poster Award Winners
2024 Poster Award Winners
Category | Place | Authors | Title | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|
Biology: Molecular & Cell Biology; Mechanism of Action | UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence in Research 1st Place | Dmitrii Travin, Manoj Jangra, Elena Aleksandrova, Manpreet Kaur, Kalinka Koteva, Dorota Klepacki, Lena Darwish, Wenliang Wang, Akosiererem Sokaribo, Brian Coombes, Nora Vàzquez-Laslop, Yury Polikanov, Alexander S. Mankin, Gerard Wright | Lariocidin – a Lasso Peptide Acting on the Bacterial Ribosome | ![]() |
Biology: Molecular & Cell Biology; Mechanism of Action | UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence in Research 2nd Place | Meghna Gill, Tianzhou Yao, Ellie H.Jhun, Z. Jim Wang | Single Nucleotide Polymorphism rs 6356 in Tyrosine Hydroxylase Gene and Its Impact on Pain | ![]() |
Biology: Molecular & Cell Biology; Mechanism of Action | UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence in Research 3rd Place | Sobita Pathak, Artemis Gogos, Reggie Woods, Jennifer C. Chang, Michael J. Federle | Discovery of Pigment Produced by Group A Streptococcus | ![]() |
Chemistry: Discovery, Modeling, Design & Evaluation of Novel Drugs; Detection & Delivery Systems | UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence in Research 1st Place | Mario Alvarez, Alexander S. Mankin, Terry W. Moore | Development of Hybrid Proline-Rich Antimicrobial Peptides as Potent Translation Termination Inhibitors | ![]() |
Chemistry: Discovery, Modeling, Design & Evaluation of Novel Drugs; Detection & Delivery Systems | UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence in Research 2nd Place | Ana M. Lopez-Hernandez, Lisa E. Rusali, Kyle M. Kremiller, Lawrence Toll, Andrea Cippitelli, Andrew P. Riley | Development of α3β4 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor-Targeted Aristotelia Alkaloid Derivatives for Substance Use Disorder Treatment | ![]() |
Chemistry: Discovery, Modeling, Design & Evaluation of Novel Drugs; Detection & Delivery Systems | UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence in Research 3rd Place | Yi-Chien Wu, Elie Abi Khalil, Adi Upadhye, Mark Sanborn, Jalees Rehman, Nermin Kady, Ryan Wilcox, Steve S.-Y. Lee | Tissue Niche-Based and Cell-Type-Selective Spatial Proteomics | ![]() |
Chemistry: Discovery, Modeling, Design & Evaluation of Novel Drugs; Detection & Delivery Systems | UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence in Research 4th Place | Jingtian Zheng, Yi-Chien Wu, Xiaoying Cai, Ekrem Emrah Er, Zongmin Zhao, Steve S.-Y. Lee | Correlated Multi-scale 3D Optical Microscopy of Tumor Tissues | ![]() |
Clinical, Social, and Applied Sciences | UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence in Research 1st Place | Bertha De Los Santos, Kibum Kim | Trends in All Cause Healthcare Costs in US Diabetes Population Having Employment-Based Insurance Coverage | ![]() |
Clinical, Social, and Applied Sciences | UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence in Research 2nd Place | Sodam Kim, Landon Welch, Bertha De Los Santos, Przemyslaw P. Radwanski, Mark Munger, Kibum Kim | Association of Atrial Fibrillation with Lamotrigine in Bipolar I Disorder: An Observational Cohort Study | ![]() |
Innovate@UIC Innovation Award | 1st Place | Edidiong Udofa, Endong Zhang, Zongmin Zhao | i-Bind: In situ Red Blood Cell-Binding Nanoparticles for Targeted Pulmonary Drug Delivery | ![]() |
Innovate@UIC Innovation Award | 2nd Place | Kasra Alizadeh, Dorota Klepacki, Nora Vázquez-Laslop, Alexander S. Mankin | Developing a Fully Orthogonal Translation System in Bacteria | ![]() |
UI Cancer Center Cancer Science Prize | 1st Place | Dahee Jung, Xiaoying Cai, Wonkyung Oh, Seung-Oe Lim, Steve S.-Y. Lee | Engineered Anti-CD40 Agonistic Antibody as a Novel Cancer Neoantigen Vaccines | ![]() |
UI Cancer Center Cancer Science Prize | 2nd Place | Monica A. Haughan, Hannah J. Lusk, Carlismari Grundmann, Tova M. Bergsten, Aloysius J. Klingelhutz, Laura M. Sanchez, Joanna E. Burdete | Adrenergic Signaling in Adipocytes Drives Ovarian Cancer Cell Invasion | ![]() |
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Student Chapter Choice Award | 1st Place | Bo Zhou, Leticia Do Amaral, Emily K. Bremers, Reagan S. Haney, Emilio F. Merino, Delphine Baud, Steve Brand, Max Totrov, Maria B. Cassera, Paul R. Carlier | Development of Imidazo[4,5-c]pyridine Antimalarials | ![]() |
ISPOR Student Chapter Choice Award | 1st Place | Jyotirmoy Sarker, Michael Kim, Samantha Paton, Przemysław B. Radwański , Mark A. Munger, Kibum Kim | Comparative Risk of the Onset of Atrial Fibrillation after Icosapent Ethyl versus Omega-3 | ![]() |
ISPE Student Chapter Choice Award | 1st Place | Jyotirmoy Sarker, Aaron N. Winn | Real-World Patterns of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Discontinuation and Reinitiation in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients in the United States | ![]() |
Thank you for your Support!

2024 Sponsors