The Center for Integrative Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease (CICMD) is proud to celebrate the remarkable presence and achievements of University of Florida faculty and trainees at the 2026 American Physiological Society (APS) Summit in Minneapolis.
Nearly 50 UF faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and trainees attended the national meeting, making UF one of the top three most represented universities at the conference among approximately 2,600 attendees nationwide. The strong UF presence reflects the university’s growing leadership in integrative physiology, cardiovascular and metabolic disease research, circadian biology, neuroscience, renal physiology, and translational science.
CICMD is especially proud to recognize the many center-affiliated trainees and faculty whose work was highlighted through prestigious national awards, invited oral presentations, and leadership roles within APS.
National Trainee Recognition
Several UF trainees received highly competitive national awards and honors, including:
- Michelle Moraes (Orlando Laitano Lab) — CANTROL International Postdoctoral Research Award
- Sultan Khanfar (CICMD-Aline Oliveira Lab) — NCAR Undergraduate Researcher Award
- Maria Nikodemova (Gordon Mitchell Lab) — Abstract of Distinction
- Alyssa Tipler (Helen Jones Lab) — Abstract of Distinction
- Bryanna Broderick (CICMD-Michelle Gumz Lab) — Abstract of Distinction
- Rachel Lee (CICMD-G. Ryan Crislip Lab) — Abstract of Distinction
- Ava Bruner (CICMD-Michelle Gumz Lab) — Abstract of Distinction
Outstanding Oral Presentations
UF trainees and faculty delivered numerous featured oral presentations across cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, circadian, neuroscience, and omics-focused sessions. Highlights included presentations by:
- Sophia Eikenberry (CICMD-Michelle Gumz Lab)
- Alexandria Juffre (CICMD-Michelle Gumz Lab)
- Filipe Da Silva (CICMD-Aline Oliveira Lab)
- Sultan Khanfar (CICMD-Aline Oliveira Lab)
- Michelle Moraes (Orlando Laitano Lab)
- Ava Bruner (CICMD-Michelle Gumz Lab)
- Thomas Clanton (BREATHE Faculty)
These presentations showcased innovative research spanning cardiovascular function, renal physiology, pulmonary hypertension, circadian biology, transcriptomics, neuroinflammation, and environmental physiology.
UF Faculty Leadership on the National Stage
UF faculty also served in several prestigious leadership and moderator roles during the meeting:
- Dr. Michelle Gumz — Chair, APS Renal Section (CICMD Co-Director)
- Dr. David Fuller — Incoming Chair, APS Respiratory Section
- Dr. Gordon Mitchell — Session Moderator
- Dr. Karyn Esser — Session Moderator and recipient of the APS Environmental & Exercise Physiology Section Edward F. Adolph Distinguished Lectureship
- Dr. Erica Dale — Beverly Petterson Bishop Award for Excellence in Neuroscience
Advancing CICMD’s Mission Through Collaborative Science
The breadth of research presented at APS 2026 reflects CICMD’s mission to advance interdisciplinary research and training at the intersection of reno-cardiovascular and metabolic disease. The work highlighted by UF investigators connected diverse fields including circadian biology, kidney disease, cardiovascular physiology, neuroscience, pulmonary hypertension, heat stress physiology, and systems biology.
CICMD congratulates all participating faculty, trainees, and collaborators on this outstanding national representation of the University of Florida and thanks them for their continued commitment to innovative, collaborative, and translational science.
We are especially proud to see so many trainees recognized at the national level and look forward to supporting the next generation of leaders in cardiovascular and metabolic disease research.