Ohio Physiological Society

33rd Annual Meeting
September 28–29, 2018
University of Cincinnati

The University of Cincinnati hosted the 33rd annual meeting of the Ohio Physiological Society (OPS), September 28–29, 2018 on the UC medical campus. The OPS meeting is the foremost regional forum for research in physiology, systems biology, and pharmacology, and the translational research stemming from these disciplines. OPS provides an excellent opportunity for undergraduate students, graduate students, and other trainees to present their work at a vibrant regional meeting.

OPS2018 Keynote Speaker

Mark A Sussman, PhD

San Diego State University

Myocardial regeneration: Uncommon sense for common problems

The OPS2018 Keynote Speaker was Mark A Sussman, PhD, distinguished professor of biology at San Diego State University. Dr Sussman's presentation “Myocardial regeneration: Uncommon sense for common problems” focused on the biological limitations to myocardial repair in the adult heart, and to the next-generation approaches to overcoming those limitations, ultimately translating into novel clinical treatments achieving desperately needed treatment of heart failure.

OPS2018 Program

Attending OPS2018 were over 190 registrants from 23 institutions around Ohio (including Kenyon College, the Ohio State University, UC, and Wright State University), Kentucky and Indiana.

OPS2018 received a record-breaking 109 abstract submissions, of which 9 were selected for oral presentation and 100 for poster presentation. Topics included cardiovascular physiology and disease, muscle physiology and disease, epithelial physiology and membrane transport, neuroscience, and comparative physiology.

The meeting began Friday afternoon with the keynote address, followed by a reception and dinner. Saturday's full-day program featured selected oral presentations, two poster sessions, and a student data blitz.

The program ended with a brief business meeting and awards ceremony. Andrew Voss, PhD, associate professor of biological sciences at Wright State University, Dayton, OH, was elected OPS President. Dr Voss will host the OPS annual meeting at Wright State in fall 2019. Trainee award-winners are listed below.

• Download the OPS2018 Program (PDF)
• Download the OPS2018 Meeting Report (PDF)

OPS2018 Awards

Undergraduate and graduate students who submitted an abstract and presented their research at OPS2018 were eligible for one of two competitive awards. The Peter K Lauf Travel Award, named in honor of the founding president of OPS, provides trainees with an award certificate and $750 to help defray the costs of attending and presenting at Experimental Biology 2019 (Orlando, FL, April 6–9, 2019). The OPS Research Excellence Award provided trainees with an award certificate and a cash prize of $50.

Peter K Lauf Awardees

• Chaya Fershtman | Undergraduate Student | Miami University
• Loryn Holokai | Graduate Student | University of Cincinnati
• Nazar Hussein | Graduate Student | Northeast Ohio Medical University
• Thomas Kwiatkowski | Graduate Student | Ohio State University
• Nora Lakes | Undergraduate Student | University of Cincinnati
• Nihar Rama | Undergraduate Student | University of Cincinnati

OPS Research Excellence Awardees

• Corbin Azucenas | Undergraduate Student | University of Cincinnati
• Lisa Dorn | Graduate Student | Ohio State University
• A Scott Emmert | Undergraduate Student | University of Cincinnati
• Hikaru Hanyu | Graduate Student | University of Cincinnati
• Vighnesh Ramesh | Undergraduate Student | University of Cincinnati
• Sydney Stone | Undergraduate Student | University of Cincinnati

OPS2018 Local Organizing Committee

Laura Conforti, PhD
A Scott Emmert (Undergraduate Student Representative)
Bryan Mackenzie, PhD
T Alex Ruwe, BS (Graduate Student Representative)
Sakthivel Sadayappan, PhD MBA
Jo El Schultz, PhD
Roger T Worrell, PhD
Yana Zavros, PhD

OPS Officers, 2018

Save the Date | OPS 2019

34th Annual Meeting
September 20–21, 2019
Wright State University

The 34th Annual Meeting of the Ohio Physiological Society will be held at Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio on September 20–21, 2019. OPS President Andrew Voss, PhD (Wright State University) will host the meeting. Robert T Dirksen, PhD (University of Rochester) will deliver the keynote address. More details to follow. Visit the OPS2019 website.