Speaking at the 2022 Reimagine Health Symposium
Last year I gave a virtual seminar to the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix campus. I was subsequently invited to speak at this year’s Reimagine Health Symposium. The symposium was offered virtually this year, given the surge in SARS-CoV-2 cases due to the omicron variant. I was disappointed that I could not meet the conference attendees in person, nevertheless, it was a great experience to present my research to a broad audience.
I was among the morning presenters in a session on immunity and aging, alongside Dr. Janko Nikolich-Zugich and Dr. Karen Hastings. It was such an honor to be included in a panel with them. I have always held the work of Dr. Nikolich-Zugich in high regard. Being a new Principal Investigator, Dr. Hastings has been welcoming as I have established myself in the Phoenix valley. After briefly introducing the audience to T cells, I talked about my recently published work on the aged lymph node microenvironment. It is gratifying to be able to highlight published efforts, compared to a year ago when I talked about my research strictly as a work in progress.
This must be what new rock bands feel like when they see their name in a lineup. Thank you, Pete Pallagi, for the great photos!
The talk was limited to 20 minutes but I squeezed in some teasers on an active project in the lab, where we are examining the contribution of the aged lymph node microenvironment to diminished germinal center responses. The germinal centers are immune-activated areas of the lymph nodes and spleen, in which activated B cells are differentiating and refining their antibody production. This process is supported by B cell interactions with a subset of helper T cells. It is evident that germinal centers are less developed in aged individuals, but it has been difficult to determine whether this is due to aging defects in B cells, T cells, the tissue environment, or all of the above. Because the elderly response to vaccines is such an important area of immune research, I have been very excited to see progress in this project!
Besides the tremendous feeling of relief and satisfaction I feel the moment after I have finished my talk, my favorite part of the program was the keynote speaker, Dr. Jerry Shay. His talk was a master class in aging and telomeres and was presented in such a simple and clear way. Molecular mechanisms of aging, such as telomere attrition, have been so hazy for me conceptually, but I feel more comfortable with this topic having listened to Dr. Shay’s talk. He highlighted his work that demonstrated the relationship between telomere length and higher quality of health in centenarians, and also how by targeting the enzyme telomerase, expressed by cancers but not by normal cells, we can fight chemo-resistant cancers. It is truly the mark of a good speaker when they weave a fascinating story on their topic, spurring interest and excitement in work that is outside your own.
It was an interesting and worthwhile symposium and the organizers did a terrific job, making the event as seamless as possible. However, It is difficult to forego the personal interactions of the conference that I have cherished. Also, I find it really disorienting to talk with headphones on. The Q&A part of this format is challenging for me personally, as I find it awkward to listen to the moderator read a question (no video, only audio), versus having someone stand up and ask that question. My brain cannot seem to grasp the question in this format and I have to sheepishly click through the tabs so I can read it to myself. As nervous as I get before a presentation, I now realize that the physical feedback from the audience is vital to the performative aspect of the scientific talk. It will be interesting to see what is in store for the next couple of years in scientific conferencing.