2024 Annual Research Symposium

Invited Speaker

Katherine Gallagher, MD, is Professor of Surgery, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and the Leland Ira Doan Research Professor of Surgery at the University of Michigan. Dr. Gallagher is internationally known for her innovative translational research on epigenetic regulation of immune cells during normal and pathologic tissue repair and other cardiovascular disease processes. She is an expert in the molecular pathogenesis of wound repair and has contributed substantially to the understanding of epigenetics in immune cells associated with tissue repair, cardiovascular diseases, sepsis and most recently, COVID-19.

Katherine Gallagher, MD, is Professor of Surgery, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and the Leland Ira Doan Research Professor of Surgery at the University of Michigan. Dr. Gallagher is internationally known for her innovative translational research on epigenetic regulation of immune cells during normal and pathologic tissue repair and other cardiovascular disease processes. She is an expert in the molecular pathogenesis of wound repair and has contributed substantially to the understanding of epigenetics in immune cells associated with tissue repair, cardiovascular diseases, sepsis and most recently, COVID-19.

She is, most notably, an exceptionally well-funded researcher supported by multiple R01s and other foundation grants, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, American Society of Clinical Investigation, American Surgical Association, Society of Clinical Surgery, a James IV International Scholar, a Distinguished Fellow of the Society of Vascular Surgery and a Taubman Scholar. Dr. Gallagher is also the Vice Chair of Basic and Translational Science in the Department of Surgery and foundational grants, including the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Wylie Scholars, among others. Her work is distinguished for its high quality and impact and has established the connection between epigenetic reprogramming of immune cells in normal and pathologic tissue repair as well as other disease states (Cell Immunity, JEM, PNAS). She is the Chair of the BTSS NIH-study section and is an original member of the NIH-NIDDK Wound Consortium. She is a tremendous mentor to junior faculty and trainees in medical research and has trained many post-doctoral residents to be the next generation of scientists, who have all achieved NIH(F/K) and major society funding (AHA, ADA, ACS, AAS/SUS, SVS). She was awarded the 2022 MICHR mentor of the year for translational science mentoring efforts at the University of Michigan.

Gallagher received a Bachelor of Science degree in physiology and neurobiology from the University of Maryland in 1998, graduating with Highest Honors. She was a Howard Hughes Fellow at the NIH for two years. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2002. She pursued her general surgery training at the University of Maryland, followed by her vascular surgery training at Columbia University in New York.  During her residency, she pursued a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been tenure track faculty at the University of Michigan since 2011.

Her clinical expertise is in complex PAD, having previously directed the CVC multidisciplinary PAD clinic for many years. She currently runs a nationally known program for popliteal entrapment and other non-atherosclerotic pathologies associated with claudication/leg pain at the University. She is on the executive board for Vascular Cures and the Taubman Institute.

Awardees 

Best Presentation in Basic & Translational Science Research
"Development of an Autonomous Platform for Tissue Culture and Storage in Low Earth Orbit"
Juan Reyna, MD

Best Presentation in Clinical Research
"An Artificial Intelligence Model to Predict Superior Mesenteric Artery Margin Status of Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma"
Jane Wang, MD

Outstanding Presentation in Clinical Research
"Intravascular Volume Assessment with Novel 4D Volumetric M-Mode Ultrasound Technique in Trauma Patients"
Sahil Patel, MD

Best Presentation in Global/Education/Innovation
"Impact of Reducing Time with Colostomies on Experience of Social Stigma for Children with Anorectal Malformations in South-Western Uganda"
Caroline Stephens, MD

Best Medical Student Presentation
"Aire-expressing Tumor Association Macrophage (ATAM) Gene Signature associated with Reduced Survival in Multiple Human Cancers"
Han Yin