Research Laureate Lecture 

“Fixing Broken Lungs: A Scientific and Philosophical Journey” presented by 2024 Research Laureate, Dan Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine

12:15 P.M.
MedEd 200, (Sullivan Classroom) or via Zoom
Lunch provided for the first 40 in-person attendees

Watch the Research Laureate Lecture on 9/22

Dr. Weiss has had a longstanding interest in lung repair and regeneration following injury, with a focus on gene and cell therapy approaches for lung diseases. This work has included the development of novel techniques to investigate and enhance lung gene and cell therapies. As a translational scientist, Dr. Weiss conducts research that spans from benchtop investigations to clinical trials.

Dr. Weiss has also established a biennial conference at the University of Vermont titled Stem Cells and Cell Therapies in Lung Biology and Diseases, which is widely recognized by the NIH, FDA, and non-profit Respiratory Disease Foundations as a leading conference in the field.

The overarching goal of Dr. Weiss’s research is to provide a robust scientific foundation for the clinical application of cell therapies in lung diseases. Since 1995, this work has been supported by funding from the NIH, NSF, DOD, non-profit Respiratory Disease Foundations, and industry partners.

BioLabs Innovation Center at UVM Ribbon Cutting

11:30 A.M. 
360 S Park Dr, Colchester, VT 05446 

Join UVM President, Marlene Tromp, Ph.D., UVM Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Kirk Dombrowski, Ph.D., Larner College of Medicine Dean Richard L. Page, M.D., and Larner College of Medicine Senior Associate Dean for Research, Kate Tracy, Ph.D. and BioLabs Leadership for an event to celebrate the opening of the BioLabs Innovation Center at UVM. Additional information will be shared about this event soon.

Research Poster Session

3:00 - 5:30 P.M. 
Given Courtyard, MedEd Lobby, Hoehl Gallery

UVM Medical and graduate student research will be displayed with students available to discuss the exciting details of their research. 

Research Rally & Reception

5:00 - 7:00 P.M.
Hoehl Gallery at the Larner College of Medicine
Refreshments provided for in-person attendees

Watch the Research Rally on 9/25

Larner College of Medicine researchers will give short Ted-talk style presentations about their inspiring research. In-person attendance is strongly encouraged. A list of presenters will be shared as the event approaches. 

Awards Presentation and Research Celebration Address

4:30 - 5:30 P.M. - Awards and Research Address
MedEd 200 (Sullivan Classroom)
In-person attendance is strongly encouraged

Watch the Awards Presentation and Research Celebration Address on 9/25

5: 30 - 7:00 P.M. - Reception
Hoehl Gallery

Awards will be presented for Research Publications in the Medical Student, Graduate Student, Post-Doc and Resident categories, and for Clinical Research Coordinator, Scientific Research Staff, Clinical Trials, Research Mentor, New Investigator, Mid-Career Investigator, Research Laureate and Junior and Senior Investigator of the Year. Senior Associate Dean for Research Kate Tracy, Ph.D., will also deliver her Research Celebration address following the awards presentations. Immediately after the presentation, light refreshments will be available in Hoehl Gallery. 

Stetson Lecture

"Leveraging Advanced Computational and Machine Learning Techniques and Experimental Data in Deriving Protein Structure with Implications for Drug Design" presented by Steffen Lindert, M.Sc., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA.

12:30 - 1:30 P.M.
MedEd 200, (Sullivan Classrom)
Lunch provided for the first 40 in-person attendees

Watch the Stetson Lecture on 9/6

Steffen Lindert received his M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Leipzig in 2006 and his Ph.D. in Chemical and Physical Biology (Molecular Biophysics track) from Vanderbilt University in 2011. Co-advised by Professors Jens Meiler and Phoebe Stewart, he worked on a combined experimental and computational project developing a program – EM-Fold – which folds proteins into medium resolution cryo-electron microscopy density maps. After finishing his Ph.D., he joined the laboratory of Professor Andy McCammon at the University of California, San Diego, as a postdoctoral fellow. His research focused on macromolecular simulations of proteins involved in cardiomyocyte contraction and computer-aided drug discovery. Lindert was awarded a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association. He started his research group at Ohio State University in August of 2015. In July 2025, Dr. Lindert joined the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UCLA, where his team continues to focus on the development and application of computational techniques for modeling biological systems, with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of biomolecular processes, predicting protein structure with the use of sparse experimental data, engineering proteins, and discovering new drugs.