OHIO welcomes students, faculty, industry leaders to campus for Ohio Physiological Society annual meeting

Ohio University’s Diabetes Institute and Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute hosted the 38th annual meeting of the Ohio Physiological Society (OPS) on Sept. 20 and 21.

Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Professor Vishwajeet Puri, MS, Ph.D, was elected in 2023 as the president of the OPS, which is a chapter of the American Physiological Society. Serving as the 2024 president provided Puri with the opportunity to host the September OPS event at Ohio University.

The annual meeting, titled “Healthspan and Physiological Discoveries,” welcomed more than 200 attendees, including students, faculty and industry representatives from across the state.  

Shalender Bhasin, M.D., professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and one of the foremost experts in men’s health and aging, gave the keynote address. Bhasin spoke to the complexities in the diagnosis of hypogonadism in men, enhancing diagnostic accuracy in evaluating testosterone deficiency, and the importance of developing individualized treatment strategies for patients.

The event also featured the work of promising new investigators, including Cory Baumann, Ph.D., assistant professor from the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Karthickeyan Chella Krishnan, Ph.D., assistant professor from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

In addition, John Kopchick, Ph.D., professor and Goll-Ohio Eminent Scholar, gave a talk on “Covert actions of growth hormone; fibrosis, cardiovascular disease and cancer.”

The event featured 100 posters in two sessions, giving undergraduate, graduate and medical students, as well as post-doctoral fellows, the opportunity to share their research findings in a professional setting. Event attendees had the opportunity to judge the posters with awards given to the top five in each category. 

Emma Sielski, an Ohio University junior who is majoring in biological sciences and minoring in chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the event provided students with important opportunities.

"Attending this year's OPS meeting was an invaluable experience; as an undergraduate, it was eye opening to witness all of the impactful research going on in our state. I had the opportunity to present my research, make new connections, and most importantly broaden my knowledge as a scientist," said Sielski.

Students also participated in a data blitz competition with prizes awarded to the top five presenters based on audience vote. 

The Ohio Physiological Society was founded in 1986 as a professional association of Ohio physiologists. It was established with the purpose of enhancing and advancing the field of physiology as a coordinated discipline consisting of the many subdisciplines working at the molecular, cellular and organ system levels of organization in both basic and applied areas. The current membership is from a variety of academic institutions and industries across Ohio.

Puri, MS, Ph.D, is a co-director of the Ohio University Diabetes Institute and is the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Ralph S. Licklider, D.O. Endowed Professor in Diabetes. He was proud to serve as the 2024 OPS president, and at the conclusion of the annual meeting he welcomed the incoming 2025 president, Karthickeyan Chella Krishnan, Ph.D., from the University of Cincinnati. 

“The Ohio Physiological Society's 2024 meeting brought together leading institutions from across Ohio, showcasing the high caliber of scientific research and the impressive credentials of the state's researchers. With guest participation from the Harvard Medical School, this event aligned with the American Physiological Society's mission to connect Ohio-based researchers working in the field of healthspan and physiology. Additionally, it provided a platform to highlight the strengths of the Diabetes Institute and the Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute in the Heritage College of Medicine at Ohio University,” Puri stated.