The 2nd Southeastern Brain Tumor Research Meeting (SBTRM) on Thursday, May 18 will be part of three days of events for UAB Goes Gray in May 2023 for brain tumor awareness month. The SBTRM seeks to build lasting collaborations among investigators in the southeastern United States whose research focuses on adult and pediatric brain tumors. The SBTRM will provide opportunities for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to develop critical professional skills in a setting that models national scientific meetings. We will prioritize paired oral presentations from a mentor and trainee with additional opportunities for trainees to serve as session moderators. In addition to oral presentations, all registered trainees are being encouraged to participate in the competitive poster session. Poster presenters and viewer interactions will serve as a template for the development of collaborations at national meetings. Judges will choose outstanding oral presentations and posters for awards. At our last meeting, we had over 80 participants with presentations from faculty and trainees at UAB, Emory, Moffitt, UNC-CH, Duke, Virginia Tech, and ETSU.
The UAB FamilyStrong Meeting for Brain Tumor Patients and Caregivers on Friday May 19th will seek to inform brain tumor patients and their caregivers about clinical care as well as basic and translational research. Trainees and mentors participating in the SBTRM are encouraged to present a separate poster for the lay audience to best convey their research to the patients and their family members.
The 10th Blazer Bolt for brain cancer research will be held at Railroad Park on Saturday May 20th.
Keynote Speaker
The keynote address will be provided by Dr. Harald Sontheimer, Professor and Chair of Neuroscience at the University of Virginia. Dr. Sontheimer obtained his PhD in Biophysics and Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience from the University of Heidelberg and completed post-doctoral studies at Yale University. He has a longstanding interest in the study of glia in neuropathologies. Dr. Sontheimer has made important contributions to the field of neurooncology through the discovery that brain tumor glutamate release contributes to tumor associated epilepsy, leading to clinical trials to improve brain tumor treatment.