2024 Moffitt Scientific Symposium Recap
The 14th annual Moffitt Scientific Symposium was held on May 7-8, 2024. This event was designed to bring basic, clinical, population, quantitative and translational scientists together to present the outstanding work they have been doing through featured talks and poster viewings. With a grand total of 208 poster presentations and 484 attendees this year, this goal was certainly accomplished!
Dr. Issam El Naqa, Moffitt’s 2023 Researcher of the Year, kicked off the first day of the event by delivering a lecture entitled “Is Artificial Intelligence Real?”, covering the past, current and future implications of AI and Machine Learning in cancer research and patient care. Following Dr. El Naqa’s captivating lecture, a reception was held to allow the variety of Moffitt team member attendees time to continue the conversation and network.
The Symposium's second day began with welcoming remarks delivered by Dr. Patrick Hwu, Moffitt President and CEO, followed by 15 featured poster talks. These talks covered a wide range of topics, all covering cutting-edge research.
Two poster viewing sessions were included in the day’s schedule, allowing all poster presenters to share their research with those attending. To end the day, 10 oral presenters delivered talks explaining their diverse areas of research expertise.
We are proud to announce the 2024 Moffitt Scientific Symposium’s winner of the People’s Choice Best Poster Award as Dr. Soraya Zorro Manrique, a research scientist in Dr. Patrick Hwu’s lab. Dr. Manrique’s poster was entitled, “CRISPR-meditated metabolic reprogramming of adoptively transferred CD8+ T cells via PDHB potentiates antitumor response.”
This year along with the People’s Choice Best Poster Award, another award was offered, specific to the postdoctoral fellows at Moffitt. The Moffitt Postdoctoral Association (MPDA) hosted its first-ever Postdocs’ Choice Poster Competition, where the chosen winner received a $1,000 travel award. The 2024 Postdocs’ Choice Poster Competition winner was Dr. Sadegh Marzban, a postdoc in Dr. Jeffrey West’s lab.
The Symposium was a hit yet again, marking higher attendance numbers than any previous year. We hope to see this event continue to grow throughout the future!