WGHI’s symposium to feature key advances in postpartum depression, cancer and public health

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University Women’s Global Health Institute (WGHI) will showcase groundbreaking research affecting women’s health at its annual Women’s Health Research Symposium on March 3 at Purdue Memorial Union.

The symposium, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the union’s Faculty Lounge, will open with a keynote address by Dr. Kristina Deligiannidis, director of women’s behavioral health at Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, New York.

Deligiannidis, also a professor of psychiatry, molecular medicine and obstetrics and gynecology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, will speak about “Scientific Discoveries Leading to the First FDA-Approved Medications for Postpartum Depression.” She will discuss the biological mechanisms, clinical trials and regulatory milestones that led to the development of novel treatments for postpartum depression.

Purdue experts also will speak on reproductive health, cancer research and public health:

• “Exploring Patient Experiences With Miscarriage Care in Indiana in the Midst of a Shifting Regulatory Environment” Kathryn LaRoche, assistant professor of public health, will address how evolving state regulations are affecting access to, and quality of, miscarriage care and discuss the challenges that patients and health care providers face.
• “Utilizing Community-Based Participatory Research To Culturally Adapt a Sexual Health Intervention for South African Adolescents”
  Jennifer Brown, associate professor of psychological sciences, will present findings on adapting sexual-health interventions to meet the cultural and social needs of South African youth
• “Profiling Molecular Fingerprints of Breast Cancer Subtypes Through Plasma-Derived Extracellular Vesicles”
  W. Andy Tao, professor of biochemistry and chemistry, will explore how molecular profiling of extracellular vesicles in plasma can help differentiate breast cancer subtypes, potentially improving early detection and personalized treatment strategies.
• “Role of the Proteome of Cytoplasmic Lipid Droplets in Metastasis”
  Dorothy Teegarden, professor of nutrition science, will examine the connection between lipid metabolism and cancer metastasis, shedding light on new avenues for cancer prevention and treatment.

The symposium is co-sponsored by Purdue’s John Martinson Honors College; the Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience; Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery; Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology, and Infectious Disease; and the College of Health and Human Sciences.

The symposium also will feature a graduate student poster session and competition. Students interested in participating must submit their posters by Tuesday (Feb. 25). For more details or to register, visit the WGHI website or email WGHI@purdue.edu.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.

Media contact: Amy Raley, araley@purdue.edu