Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, NY
Dear All,
The 2022 Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics Annual Retreat was held from May 16 to May 17 at the Mohonk Mountain House in New Platz, NY. Located in the idyllic Hudson Valley, the Department came together at this serene venue to celebrate our scientific accomplishments, to share ideas, and to build our community.
The theme of the scientific program was “From Molecules and Ailments to New Therapies.” Nearly a hundred participants including graduate students in the Cellular and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Program, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, staff, and sponsors attended the event and contributed to the vibrant scientific discussions. The event commenced with the opening ceremony by Dr. Andrew Marks. Following this, Dr. Sheena Iyengar, the S.T. Lee Professor at the Columbia Business School, delivered a fascinating keynote address on choice and decision making. The scientific program included twelve captivating talks by trainees and faculty in the Department of Physiology covering an impressive breadth of topics including structures of macromolecular complexes, systems physiology, and cutting-edge translational approaches.
Dr. Aris Economides, the Vice President of Research at Regeneron gave a captivating, featured lecture. In addition, there were 40 poster presentations by trainees during two poster sessions. Three outstanding trainees, Panagiota Apostolou (Gogos Lab), Arden Darko-Boateng (Colecraft Lab), and Dr. Zephan Mehlville (Marks Lab) were awarded the 2022 Physiology Distinguished Research Award for their presentations.
The Department also welcomed Dr. Yvon Woappi, a new faculty in the Department, to the Columbia Physiology Family. Beyond the rich scientific discussions, the venue also provided opportunities for outdoor and teambuilding activities including hiking the Sky Top mountain, Canoeing on Lake Mohonk, and various others activities. The event was sponsored by the generous support of Regeneron, Refeyn, Genscript, MiTeGen, Qiagen, Fisher Scientific, and VistaLab.
