On Friday, June 6, and Saturday, June 7, 349 immunologists from 19 institutions met at UVA’s Newcomb Hall for the 2025 Southeastern Immunology Symposium. Across 26 talks and 172 posters, participants shared cutting-edge research on the role of the immune system in cancer, the brain, autoimmune diseases, infection, inflammation, cell signaling, and more.
The event featured three keynote speakers:
- Jeffrey Rathmell, PhD, Professor of Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at Vanderbilt University, Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology & Associate Director of the Vanderbilt Institute of Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation
- Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director of the Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute & Director of the Mount Sinai Human Immune Monitoring Center
- Jony Kipnis, PhD, Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine & Director of the BIG Center
Rathmell and Dr. Merad began their keynote lectures by sharing their advice for young scientists at a fraught moment in American research. Rathmell encouraged trainees to pursue their passions, ask big questions, and remember the reasons they were drawn to research in the first place. Dr. Merad called for the next generation of researchers to engage more with lay audiences and advocate for science in the public forum. Both highlighted the need for solidarity and mutual support within the scientific community in the face of recent political pressure on researchers. Kipnis shared fond memories of his time at UVA before his move to his current role at Washington University.
In addition to the sixteen faculty talks, ten outstanding student abstracts were sponsored to present. These were:
- AAI Young Investigator Joseph Choi, Vanderbilt University
- AAI Young Investigator Khalia Cummings, Augusta University
- AAI Young Investigator Mitra Harrison, Duke University
- AAI Young Investigator Alexis Johnson, University of Virginia
- ABclonal Technology Young Investigator Farha Naz, University of Virginia
- BD Biosciences Young Investigator Brandon Pratt, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Miletenyi Biotec Young Investigator Ayana Ruffin, Emory University
- StemCell Technologies Young Investigator Xinran Wang, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- AAI Young Investigator Xiaoqin Wei, University of Virginia
- Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Young Investigator Mackenzie Woolls, Virginia Tech
Ten trainee posters were selected for their scientific merit ahead of the conference. The recipients of the trainee poster awards were:
- Aliyah Collins, University of Tennessee Knoxville
- Jonathan Chuck, UF Scripps
- Lamis El-Baz, Louisiana State University
- Amrita Haikerwal, George Mason University
- Emma Hathaway, Vanderbilt University
- Cameron Mattingly, Emory University
- Vikram Sabapathy, University of Virginia
- Ishita Tandon, Augusta University
- Jinyi Tang, University of Virginia
- Clint Upchurch, University of Virginia
Finally, two presenters not in the above list were voted upon by the Symposium attendees to receive a People’s Choice Award. These were:
- Bowen Hou, Augusta University
- Tamalika Paul, Virginia Tech
We would like to thank our corporate sponsors, Miltenyi Biotec, BD Biosciences, StemCell Technologies, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, ABClonal Technology, Leinco Technologies, Eppendorf, and Biolegend. Thanks also to the American Association of Immunologists, the Virginia Alzheimer’s Disease Center, the UVA School of Medicine Division of Infectious Disease & International Health, the UVA Center for Brain Immunology & Glia, the UVA Department of Microbiology, Immunology, & Cancer Biology, the UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the UVA Department of Pharmacology for their support.
We look forward to seeing you all at next year’s Symposium in Asheville, NC!