Medical Scholars Research Day set for Oct. 29

Dr. Neal Weintraub, cardiologist, Georgia Research Alliance Herbert S. Kupperman Eminent Scholar in Cardiovascular Medicine and associate director of the Medical College of Georgia Vascular Biology Center, will give the keynote address at the 10th annual Medical Scholars Research Day on Monday, Oct. 29, in the J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons.

He will speak about “Learning from One’s Mistakes: The Quest to Understand Aortic Aneurysms.”

His address, which is sponsored by the Medical College of Georgia Department of Medicine’s Translational Research Program, is at noon and is followed by poster presentations, from 1-3 p.m., by 121 second-year MCG students who participated in research over the summer between their first and second year of medical school. Twenty-eight students from the AU/UGA Medical Partnership in Athens presented their research on Monday, Oct. 22.

Nearly 65 percent of the class worked with mentors on and off campus.

Weintraub’s research is focused on vascular biology with emphasis on oxidative stress, inflammation and obesity. His work, which has been funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1997, has advanced the understanding of the role of inflammation and oxidative stress in the development of atherosclerosis and aortic aneurysm disease. Through collaborations, his lab also participates in research related to remote cardio-protection and stem cell-mediated therapy of the heart.

Weintraub served on the NIH Atherosclerosis and Inflammation of the Cardiovascular System Study Section from 2008-13, including a term as chair from 2011-13. He was president of the Central Society for Clinical Research in 2013.

He also is co-founder and chief medical officer of Cardioception, LLC, a biotech company established in 2010 dedicated to finding ways to use the skin’s natural protective functions to create innovative therapies for limiting heart damage from a heart attack.

Programs like Medical Scholars Research Day are aimed at providing more opportunities for students to participate in clinical and translational research.