NextGen PATHWAYS Symposium

Thursday, March 13 and Friday, March 14, 2025
The Student Union @UMKC
5100 Cherry St., Ste. 320, Kansas City, MO 64100

Register For The Event

Poster abstract submission is open from Friday, November 1 to Sunday, December 15.
General registration is open from Monday, January 6 to Friday, January 31.

Agenda

Thursday, March 13

UMKC's Vision for the Future

5:00 p.m. - 5:10 p.m.: Welcoming Remarks
Dave Arnold, Executive Director NextGen Precision Health initiative

5:10 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.: UMKC Research Vision
Sumeet Dua, Vice Chancellor for Research

5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.: Health Sciences and Academic Visions

• Alexander Norbash, Dean of the School of Medicine
• Russell Melchert, Dean of the School of Pharmacy & Interim Dean of the School of Dentistry
• Joy Roberts, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Studies

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.: Evening Reception
Poster session, refreshments provided

Friday, March 14

7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Registration and Coffee

8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.: Welcome and Housekeeping 

8:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: Faculty Theme Talks - Session A

10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.: Break (Poster Session A Set Up)

10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.: Poster Session A

11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: Lunch / Networking

12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.: Faculty Theme Talks - Session B 

1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.: Break (Poster Session Set Up)

1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.: Poster Session B 

2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.: Keynote Speaker: Dennis Ridenour

3:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Poster Presentation Awards and Closing

Agenda is subject to change prior to the event dates.

Dennis Ridenour President and Chief Executive Officer, BioNexus KC	KEYNOTE SPEAKER Dennis Ridenour leads BioNexus KC, the coordinating body for the KC region’s life sciences research initiatives. In this role, he fosters regional collaboration while working to increase the concentration and capacity for life sciences and healthcare research in the region. His work makes the region more efficient at commercializing technologies being developed locally, improves the health of patients and animals across the region while reducing and eliminating health disparities, and positively impacts the regional economy by leveraging our strengths at the intersection of human and animal health. Mr. Ridenour is strongly committed to the vision of BioNexus KC, that the KC region is a global leader at the nexus of human and animal health benefiting all our citizens and the economy.
David M. Fulk Director of Philanthropic Giving KCUR, Kansas City's NPR Affiliate	MASTER OF CEREMONIES David Fulk became an active volunteer with KCUR in 2005 and was named their Volunteer of the Year in 2010. He joined the KCUR staff in 2014 to build a major giving program and serves on the station’s Leadership Team. David has been a fundraising professional for more than 30 years with decade-plus stints at KCUR, Truman Medical Center (now University Health) Charitable Foundation and William Jewell College, where he received his undergraduate degree in history. David served as co-interim leader of the UMKC Charitable Foundation in 2022 and helped design and lead the $120m fundraising effort for UMKC’s Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building. He has been a longtime community volunteer in Liberty, Mo., where he resides, serving on the boards of the Liberty Symphony, Liberty Parks and Recreation, Liberty Parks Foundation, and Liberty Arts Foundation. Since 2009, David has been the concert host of the Liberty Summer Band and is the elected City Clerk of Liberty. In Kansas City, he’s served on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFPKC) and currently serves as board secretary of Te Deum. He was recognized in 2024 by the Kansas City Royals as a Buck O’Neil Legacy Seat honoree.

Faculty Theme Talks

NextGen Precision Health’s inaugural PATHWAYS symposium draws on pathbreaking work from across the University of Missouri System to celebrate research collaborations with the potential to impact global health.

On average in the U.S., it takes 14 years for a new treatment to make it from the discovery phase to a clinical patient. We believe we can accelerate that time frame if all segments of the translational science pipeline are engaged from the beginning. At the PATHWAYS symposium, research faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students from a broad range of disciplines will build understanding to lower research barriers and jump start new projects.

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The agenda will promote a dual mission: accelerating discoveries and fostering discoverers. The symposium will provide networking opportunities for experts across our four universities and give young researchers a pragmatic approach for connecting to other fields and the translation process. By making each of our contributions accessible and relevant across domains, we can leverage our strengths and ultimately impact quality of life around the world. 

Sponsors

Plantinum level sponsor

Gold level sponsor

Silver level sponsor

Questions? 

Contact the NextGen Precision Health initiative at nextgenpathways@umsystem.edu.