by Gabby Longway (G1)
Last month, 14 Vanderbilt MSTP students traveled to the 15th annual Southeastern Medical Scientist Symposium (SEMSS) hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) MSTP on September 27th-28th. SEMSS is a multi-institutional regional meeting of the American Physician Scientists Association (APSA) with the goal of bringing together both current and aspiring physician-scientists and trainees from around the southeastern U.S. and beyond to share their work and collaborate. The inaugural SEMSS was hosted by UAB in October of 2010, and the privilege of organizing the symposium has since alternated between the UAB, Emory University, and Vanderbilt University MSTPs annually. The 15th annual conference provided an opportunity to reflect on the trajectory of SEMSS and applaud the commitment of MSTP students and leadership from all three programs to expand the symposium over the years.
Dr. Robin Lorenz, MD, PhD, who served as the Program Director of the UAB MSTP when the inaugural SEMSS occurred, began the conference on Saturday afternoon with a keynote. Dr. Lorenz currently leads Genentech’s Research Pathology and Biology Department, a role she transitioned to after spending 20+ years in the academic research setting. Throughout her time in academic medicine, she was a leader in medical education, establishing a research track for pathology residents and directing the UAB MSTP. She now manages six core laboratories supporting research at Genentech, ranging from basic to translational to clinical trial research.
After the talk, seven of our MSTP students presented their work during the poster sessions. Additionally, four Vanderbilt MSTP Summer Scholars, Mikayla Kendall, Emalee Mann, Alvin Pham, and Eduardo Soria, presented posters featuring their research. Following the poster session, attendees chose between several breakout sessions that discussed charting a physician-scientist career, how AI is revolutionizing research, and choosing between MD, PhD, and MD/PhD programs. Our own Peyton Hickman (G1) sat on the panel for choosing between programs, as he is a non-traditional applicant from an external PhD program into Vanderbilt’s MSTP. Saturday evening concluded with a networking hour and dinner.
The second day of the conference began with oral presentations by both undergraduate and current MD-PhD students. Afterwards, an additional set of breakout sessions provided an opportunity for attendees to learn about MD and MSTP admissions, the PSTP and residency application process, and building a personal brand in medicine. Several of our faculty, MSTP Director Dr. Chris Williams and former Vanderbilt PSTP Director Dr. Patrick Hu (currently MSTP Director at University of Colorado MSTP), served on the panels. Saturday morning concluded with a keynote by Dr. James Markert, MD, MPH, who is currently the James Garber Galbraith Endowed Chair of Neurosurgery at UAB. Dr. Markert shared stories about the mentors who supported and inspired him on his journey to becoming a surgeon-scientist. During his career, he has pioneered oncolytic virotherapy in the treatment of brain cancers, and several of his novel therapies are currently in clinical trials.
Sunday concluded with awards and closing remarks. Several of our MSTP students received awards for their poster and oral presentations. Congratulations to Kaitlin McKernan (G4), who was awarded third place in the graduate oral presentations, and Kevin Zhang (G3) and Kyle Enriquez (G4), who were awarded first and second place, respectively, in the graduate poster presentations! In addition, Swarada Kulkarni, a Vanderbilt undergraduate student, won 2nd place in the undergraduate oral presentation category.
The 15th annual SEMSS provided ample opportunities for mentorship between training levels, collaboration amongst institutions, and reflection on the evolution of SEMSS since the first conference in 2010. Attendees heard from inspiring leaders in the field and learned about the many directions a career as a physician-scientist may take. The 2025 SEMSS Organizing Committee at UAB coordinated an enriching and engaging conference that provided opportunities for attendees of every training level to learn. Thank you to the organizing committee and everyone from Vanderbilt who attended the conference. In 2026, Emory University’s MSTP will host SEMSS in Atlanta. We look forward to seeing everyone there!