DoP Honors, July 2025

June 27, 2025

Pediatrics postdocs win top awards at 2025 Postdoctoral Symposium

Group of presenters with certificates

All awardees with Office of Postdoctoral Affairs Director Leslie Beckman (far left) and Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Symposium Chair Neha Arora, PhD (far right).

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs presented the UTHealth Houston Postdoctoral Research Symposium on June 6 in the MSB Fifth Floor Gallery. More than 120 attendees heard from keynote speaker Carmen W. Dessauer, PhD, John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Distinguished Chair, Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, as well as presentations from postdoctoral researchers from across McGovern. The top three presentations were all from the Department of Pediatrics!

(L-R in above photos, courtesy of serene_instants)

Adrián Romero Mora, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Miller Lab, won first place for oral presentation in the morning session.

Rafael Bravo Santos, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow with the Center for Clinical Research and Learning Health Care, won first place for oral presentation in the afternoon session.

Nam Van Truong, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Wang Lab, won first place for poster presentation.

National conference recognition for pulmonary medicine fellow

Daniel Yassa, MD

Daniel Yassa, MD, second-year pulmonary fellow, earned the Best of the Best Award at the 2025 American Thoracic Society (ATS) conference for his abstract.

ICYMI: Assistant professor earns first place and grant at Bone Disease Research Retreat

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Assistant Professor Maria del Mar Romero López, MD, MS, PhD, earned first place and a $45,000 grant in the research competition at the 21st Lawrence Family Research Scientific Retreat and Award Competition for her presentation titled “Bone health assessment in premature infants using speed of sound technology (BONE SOS Study).”