A Celebration and Promotion of Research Activities in Women’s Health
at Virginia Commonwealth University
The 20th Annual Women’s Health Research Day, presented by The Institute for Women's Health, was held on April 28, 2026 at the Larrick Student Center on the MCV Campus and had a record- breaking attendance of 140 participants and 58 posters. The symposium was titled, Midlife Matters: Integrating Menopause Research, Innovation, and Impact.
Poster Award Winners
Basic Science Research Award: was awarded to [Aish] Gowtami Panguluri for her work titled Pubertal AGE exposure reprograms mammary fibroblasts through RAGE-MYC signaling: Implications for women’s breast cancer risk.
Clinical & Translational Research Award: was awarded to Alex De Jong Lempke for her work titled Neuromuscular Impairments among Adolescent Females with Low Energy Availability Indicators at 6-months Post-Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
Community & Public Health Research Award: was awarded to Kristina Kumpf for her work titled Patterns of Food Insecurity, Self-Conscious Emotions, and Eating Pathology: An Exploratory Latent Profile Analysis and Distribution Across Gender Among Multinational College Students.
Early Investigator Award: was awarded to Alex De Jong Lempke for her work titled Neuromuscular Impairments among Adolescent Females with Low Energy Availability Indicators at 6-months Post-Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
Emerging Investigator Award: was awarded to [Aish] Gowtami Panguluri for her work titled Pubertal AGE exposure reprograms mammary fibroblasts through RAGE-MYC signaling: Implications for women’s breast cancer risk.
Building Bridges in Interdisciplinary Women's Health Research Award: was awarded to Nour Abosamak for his work titled Hip Replacement and Postoperative Depressive Disorders: A 26-year Retrospective Cohort Study Using Real-World Data.
Innovation and Women's Health Research Award: was awarded to Jonathan Dillon for his work titled Titanium-aluminum-vanadium implant surface properties impact osseointegration in osteoporotic bone.
Dr. Susan Kornstein was honored with the Legacy of Impact Award!
On this 20th anniversary of VCU Women’s Health Research Day, Dr. Dace Svikis presented this award
to Dr. Kornstein to honor her 27 years of leadership at the Institute for Women’s Health
that shaped women’s health research at VCU.
Women’s Health Research Day is a celebration and promotion of research activities in Women's Health at VCU. The annual program presented by the Institute for Women’s Health, now in its 20th year, includes a plenary symposium, poster awards and reception highlighting women’s health research by VCU faculty and students.
All VCU faculty, residents, students, staff, and community members interested in women’s health research are encouraged to attend. Authors with original research are invited to submit poster abstracts in any research area that focuses on women’s health or sex/gender differences. Awards will be given for best posters in Basic Science Research, Clinical and Translational Research, Community and Public Health Research. The best overall posters will be selected to win the Early Investigator or Emerging Investigator Awards. In addition, a Building Bridges in Interdisciplinary Women’s Health Research Award will be given to the poster that best demonstrates interdisciplinary collaboration in women’s health research, as well as an Innovation and Women's Health Research Award will be given to the poster that best demonstrates innovation in women’s health research.
