Atlanta VA Joint
Research Symposium
(Emory | Morehouse)
Collaborative Innovation: Bridging Minds, Advancing Science
AUG 6
Woodruff Health Sciences Administration Building (WHSCAB)
Emory University
1440 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30322
The Speakers
Sharing Knowledge, Shaping Futures
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Amy Justice, MD, PhD
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Justice is a General Internist and Clinical Epidemiologist, and was a pioneer in the development of a national observational study based on Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data. The Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) is an ongoing, longitudinal study encompassing over 60,000 people with HIV and over 6 million people without HIV continuously funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1996. In addition to EMR data, VACS is supplemented with outside data sources, patient completed surveys, DNA and tissue, and stored pathology samples. Dr. Justice also serves as the Scientific Liaison for a federal collaboration between the VA and the Department of Energy focused on applying artificial intelligence and high-performance computing to EMR data to address critical questions in medicine. In 2022, she received the highest honor awarded annually by the Department of Veterans Affairs recognizing outstanding contribution in biomedical and behavioral research relevant to veteran’s healthcare, the William S. Middleton Award. In 2025, she received The John M. Eisenberg National Award for Career Achievement in Research from the Society of General Internal Medicine for conducting innovative research that has changed how we care for patients. She is currently leading an international commission on Ageing and HIV for The Lancet HIV.
William Shafer, PhD
Featured Speaker
A Senior Research Career Scientist at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Director of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Therapeutic Discovery Training Program and Co-Director of the Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center.
His research group has examined Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Staphylococcus aureus for their ability to resist both classical antibiotics and host-derived antimicrobials (principally, cationic antimicrobial peptides). A major finding that drives current work deals with the role of drug efflux pumps that contribute to the resistance of N. gonorrhoeae to both antibiotics and host antimicrobials.
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Luis Villacorta, PhD
Featured Speaker
An Associate Professor in the department of physiology and the Associate Director of Biomedical Research in the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Villacorta’s research focuses on the interplay between inflammatory responses and energy metabolism, with special emphasis on vascular, liver and adipose tissues. In particular, Dr. Villacorta studies the role of bioactive nitrated fatty acids in the pathophysiology of obesity, diabetes and aligned-cardiovascular and -liver diseases geared towards the development of novel therapeutic approaches. Nitrated fatty acids have emerged as potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic signaling mediators. These lipids are generated during inflammation and digestion through non-enzymatic reactions of unsaturated fatty acids with nitrogen dioxide, yielding an array of electrophilic nitro-fatty acids with unique biochemical and signaling properties. Furthermore, their safety and pharmacokinetics have been clinically examined in phase I trials and its therapeutic potential currently evaluated in phase II clinical trials.
Agenda
AUG 6
07:30-08:30
Registration
08:30-08:50
Welcome
Jeanie Park, MD
Robert Norvel Jr, MD
Sandra Harris-Hooker, PhD
Sandra Wong, MD, MS
09:00-09:30
Featured Speaker
William Shafer, PhD
09:30-10:00
Featured Speaker
Luis Villacorta, PhD
10:00-11:00
11:10-12:10
Keynote Speaker
Amy Justice, MD, PhD
12:15-1:00
Lunch
01:00-01:45
02:00-03:00
Oral Presentations
03:15-03:45
Closing & Awards
04:00
Buses Depart
The Venue Lunch
The Venue will be providing lunch at the James B. Williams Medical Education Building
Shuttle Schedule
Atlanta VA Shuttle Pick-Up from Main Building front of the hospital:
07:00am VA to Emory
07:30am VA to Emory
08:00am VA to Emory
08:30am VA to Emory
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There will be a shuttle returning to the VA during lunch :
12:30 Emory to VA
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Returning to the Atlanta VA
Pick-Up in the same location as Drop-off.
Departure at:
04:00 PM Emory to VA
04:30 PM Emory to VA
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Driving to Emory
Parking is Available at the
Michael Street Deck Visitor Parking
550 Houston Mill Road,
Atlanta, GA 30322
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