The Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences invites you to a series of lightning talks featuring papers that are among the most significant contributions published by Pitt Health Sciences researchers in 2024. 

What: A series of lightning talks, followed by a reception

When: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Where: Alan Magee Scaife Hall West Wing, Room 3785, or at: https://pitt.zoom.us/s/96365890943

How were papers selected?

Health sciences leadership selected the papers based on citation metrics and other criteria including: 

• Research that offers deep biological or practice-changing clinical insight  
• Results that have sparked interest from media and the public 

Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean, School of Medicine, will introduce the session.

The following papers will be presented: 

Uveal Melanoma Immunogenomics Predict Immunotherapy Resistance and Susceptibility 
Udai Kammula

Blockade of LAG-3 and PD-1 Leads to Co-Expression of Cytotoxic and Exhaustion Gene Modules in CD8+ T Cells to Promote Antitumor Immunity 
Tony Cillo 

Inhibition of iRhom1 by CD44-Targeting Nanocarrier for Improved Cancer Immunochemotherapy 
Zhangyi Luo

Patient, Family Caregiver, and Economic Outcomes of an Integrated Screening and Novel Stepped Collaborative Care Intervention in the Oncology Setting in the USA (CARES): A Randomised, Parallel, Phase 3 Trial
Jennifer Steel

Long-Term Outcomes of Medical Management vs Bariatric Surgery in Type 2 Diabetes 
Anita Courcoulas

Neutrophils and Galectin-3 Defend Mice from Lethal Bacterial Infection and Humans from Acute Respiratory Failure 
Prabir Ray

Therapeutic Delivery of CCL2 Modulates Immune Response and Restores Host–Microbe Homeostasis
Charles Sfeir

Trajectories of Sleep Over Midlife and Incident Cardiovascular Disease Events in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation 
Rebecca Thurston

Protracted Neuronal Recruitment in the Temporal Lobes of Young Children 
Shawn Sorrells

Single-Cell Multiregion Dissection of Alzheimer’s Disease 
Hansruedi Mathys

Plasma p-tau212 Antemortem Diagnostic Performance and Prediction of Autopsy Verification of Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathology
Thomas Karikari (by prerecorded video)

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Implants for Chronic Motor Deficits After Traumatic Brain Injury 
David Okonkwo