The Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Graduate and Medical Student Research Day will take place on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Tinkham Veale University Center. The day will include a keynote address, posters, oral presentations, and awards.
Keynote Address:
The School of Medicine Graduate and Medical Student Research Day planning committee is excited to announce this year’s keynote speaker, Anthony Atala, MD, G. Link Professor and Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
"Regenerative Medicine: Current Concepts and Changing Trends"
Abstract: There is a severe shortage of donor organs and tissues which is worsening yearly due to the aging population. Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering apply the principles of cell transplantation, material sciences, and bioengineering to construct biological substitutes that may restore and maintain normal function in diseased and injured tissues. Stem cells may also offer a potentially limitless source of cells. 3D bioprinting is being utilized for potential tissue engineering therapies, and Body-on-a-Chip technologies are being applied for drug discovery and personalized medicine. Applications of these new technologies that may offer novel diagnostics and therapies for patients with tissue injury and organ disease will be described. Recent advances that have occurred in regenerative medicine will be reviewed.
Biography
Dr. Anthony Atala's research led to the first tissue engineered organ for permanent implantation in a human, the discovery of a novel highly multipotent source of stem cells derived from amniotic fluid and placenta that are being used clinically, the advancement of 3D printing strategies for manufacturing tissues and organs, and the use of regenerative medicine strategies to create organoid and body on a chip technologies currently being applied for patient related indications. Eighteen applications of technologies developed in Dr. Atala's laboratory have been used clinically.
Dr. Atala was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences (now the National Academy of Medicine), to the National Academy of Inventors as a Charter Fellow, and to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Dr. Atala is a recipient of the US Congress funded Christopher Columbus Foundation Award, bestowed on a living American who is currently working on a discovery that will significantly affect society; the World Technology Award in Health and Medicine, for achieving significant and lasting progress; the Edison Science/Medical Award; the Fast Company World Changing Ideas Award; the R&D Innovator of the Year Award; and the Smithsonian Ingenuity Award. Dr. Atala’s work was listed twice as Time Magazine’s top 10 medical breakthroughs of the year, and as one of 5 discoveries that will change the future of organ transplants. Dr. Atala’s work was ranked in 2019 by the Project Management Institute as one of the top 10 most impactful biotech projects from the past 50 years. Dr. Atala was named by Scientific American as one of the world’s most influential people in biotechnology, by U.S. News & World Report as one of 14 Pioneers of Medical Progress in the 21st Century, by Life Sciences Intellectual Property Review as one of 50 key influencers in the life sciences intellectual property arena, and by Nature Biotechnology as one of the top 10 translational researchers in the world.
Dr. Atala has led or served several national professional and government committees, including the National Institutes of Health working group on Cells and Developmental Biology, the National Institutes of Health Bioengineering Consortium, and the National Cancer Institute’s Advisory Board. He was a Founder of the Tissue Engineering Society, the Regenerative Medicine Society, the Regenerative Medicine Foundation, the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, the Regenerative Medicine Development Organization, the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Society, and the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Consortium. Dr. Atala is editor of 25 books and 2 journals, has published more than 900 journal articles, and has applied for or received over 300 national and international patents.
If you have any questions about the event, the abstract submission process, or judging, please contact som_student_research_day@case.edu. We look forward to seeing you at Research Day 2026!
Deadline for Submission
Abstract submissions is now closed for the 2026 event. Please join us at the event on Thursday, Oct. 15, at Tinkham Veale University Center.
If you missed the submission this year, please consider submitting for the 2027 event. Submission information will be sent out summer 2027.
Who is eligible to be a judge?
The CWRU School of Medicine invites faculty, alumni, and senior trainees (residents, fellows, post-docs) to participate in providing student feedback and award consideration.
This judge sign-up site accepts from faculty, alumni and senior trainees who wish to serve as judges:
- For student abstracts; to select those presented as posters or oral presentations during Research Day.
- For student poster presentations conducted in person during Research Day
What is the deadline to sign up to be a judge?
The deadline for judging sign-up for the 2026 event is now closed. Please consider joining us as an attendee on Thursday, Oct. 15, at Tinkham Veale University Center.
If you missed the deadline this year, please consider signing up for the 2027 event. Sign-up information will be sent out summer 2027.
Judging Details
Abstract judging:
Abstract judges will be assigned approximately 15 abstracts to evaluate. Some abstracts will also include a linked, 3-minute video presentation to be considered for oral presentations.
Abstract judges will be asked to review both the written abstract and the video presentation, if relevant. Faculty receive 1.5 hours of med school teaching credit for every 4 abstracts evaluated. All judges can add this activity to their CV/service report.
Poster judging:
Poster judges will be assigned 4-6 posters to evaluate during a 90-minute session on SOM Graduate and Medical Student Research Day. Evaluation is done electronically with a simple rubric.
Judges can indicate availability to judge in the morning (10–11:30 a.m.) and/or afternoon (1:30–3 p.m.) session. Judging determines the poster award winners from each session. Faculty receive 1.5 hours of med school teaching credit for every 4 posters evaluated. All judges can add this activity to their CV/service report. Judges will receive free parking at the Tinkham Veale University Center on the day of the event.
Judges can sign up for an abstract and/or poster judging.
We make every attempt to match judges with abstracts/posters in their area of expertise but cannot guarantee perfect matches.
Students who are not presenting are encouraged to attend to learn about their colleagues’ research activities. Staff and faculty who are not judging are encouraged to attend to support our students. Everyone is invited to attend; those who are not presenting or judging will be asked to RSVP separately through Campus Groups.