2026 Agenda

Each year, the CHOP Research Institute celebrates the groundbreaking basic, clinical, behavioral, and translational research taking place at CHOP during our annual Poster Day and Scientific Symposium. This year's symposium talks will highlight the remarkable breakthroughs achieved by CHOP in Big Data, Omics, and AI.

The 2026 Poster Day and Symposium will take place on Monday, May 4th, Tuesday, May 5th and Wednesday, May 6th. Symposium talks will take place in the 1st floor auditorium in the Hub for Clinical Collaboration. Poster sessions will be held in the Colket Translational Research Building (CTRB) lobby. A reception and awards ceremony will be held on May 6th in the Hub.

During this in-person celebration of research, attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the exciting work of our faculty and trainees and network with others across campus. All members of the CHOP and Penn community are welcome to attend regardless of research focus or clinical specialty!

Please Note: Photographs for the purpose of publicity and marketing will take place at this event.

Time
Event
Speaker / Topics / Programs
Location
2:30 pm to 4:00 pm

Poster Session A

CTRB Lobby

Time
Event
Speaker / Topics / Programs
Location
9:00 am to 10:30 am

Poster Session B

CTRB Lobby

10:30 am to 10:45 am

Break

10:45 am to 11:00 am

Welcome

Hub Auditorium

11:00 am to 12:20 pm

Session I Talks

Topic: Leading Edge Technologies

Aaron Alexander-Bloch, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Tristan Hayeck, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Kai Tan, PhD
Professor of Pediatrics

Deanne M. Taylor, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Hub Auditorium

12:20 pm to 12:30 pm

Break / Grab Lunch

Hub Lobby

12:30 pm to 1:30 pm

Science Slam (Flash Talks) and Lunch

Hub Auditorium

1:30 pm to 1:40 pm

Break

1:40 pm to 3:00 pm

Session II Talks

Topic: Diagnostics

Laura K. Conlin, PhD
Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine

Audrey Odom John, MD, PhD
Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology

Stephen R. Master, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine

Gregory E. Tasian, MD, MSc, MSCE
Professor of Surgery and Epidemiology

Hub Auditorium

3:00 pm to 3:15 pm

Break

3:15 pm to 4:15 pm

Omics Data Utilization Grants Session

Anthony Gacita, MD, PhD
Pediatrics Resident Physician (PGY‑4)

Jillian McKee, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology

Alanna Strong, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Sylvia Michki, PhD
Bioinformatics Scientist III

Hub Auditorium

4:15 pm to 5:30 pm

OMICS Networking Reception

Hub Lobby

Time
Event
Speaker / Topics / Programs
Location
8:00 am to 9:00 am

Grand Rounds

Fei Wang, PhD
Frances and John L. Leob Professor of Medical Informatics, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University

Hub Auditorium

9:30 am to 11:00 am

Poster Session C

CTRB Lobby

11:00 am to 11:15 am

Break

11:15 am to 12:15 pm

Keynote Presentation and Lunch

Steven E. Brenner, PhD
Professor, University of California, Berkeley

Hub Auditorium

12:15 pm to 12:30 pm

Break

12:30 pm to 1:50 pm

Session III Talks

Topic: Therapeutics / Drug Discovery

Ethan M. Goldberg, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Pediatrics

Yael P. Mossé, PhD
Professor of Pediatrics

Adeline L. Vanderver, MD
Professor of Pediatrics

Lan Lin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Hub Auditorium

12:45 pm to 1:45 pm

Poster Day Judges Meeting

TBD

1:50 pm to 2:00 pm

Break

2:00 pm to 3:20 pm

Session IV Talks

Topic: Preclinical through application

Ian M. Campbell, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Anurag Verma, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Informatics

Allison Heath, PhD
Director of Data Technology and Innovation

Robert W. Grundmeier, MD
Professor of Pediatrics

Hub Auditorium

3:20 pm to 3:30 pm

Break

3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Keynote Presentation

Regina Barzilay, PhD
School of Engineering Distinguished Professor for AI and Health, MIT

Hub Auditorium

4:45 pm to 6:00 pm

Reception

Hub Lobby