13th Annual OCRID Symposium
5/18/2026
The Oklahoma Center for Respiratory and Infectious Diseases (OCRID), based at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, brings together researchers from multiple institutions and colleges across the state and conducts innovative, collaborative cutting-edge research focused on combating respiratory and infectious diseases.
On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, OCRID hosted its 13th Annual Research Symposium at Meditations in Stillwater. This event has been a wonderful venue to highlight the exciting work being done across the OCRID community and to connect with colleagues, collaborators, and friends.
The day began with virtual opening remarks by Vice President for Research, Dr. Kenneth Sewell, followed by featured talks from OCRID Pilot Project leaders, Oklahoma Investigators, as well as students and postdoctoral researchers. We were also grateful to have keynote speakers Dr. Daniel Chertow (NIH Clinical Center), Dr. JoAnne Flynn (University of Pittsburgh), and Dr. Kevin Harrod (University of Alabama at Birmingham), who shared their insights and expertise. The symposium attracted about 110 attendees, and we received a total of 41 abstracts.
An abstract competition, preceded by flash talks, added to the excitement of the event. The Internal Selection Committee and External Advisory Committee (EAC) selected the winners:
- Best Undergraduate Abstract Sydney Morabbi
- Best Graduate Abstracts Elizabeth Varghese and Prince Jhandai
- People’s Choice Award Kainat Ahmed
Front Row (L - R): Sydney Morabbi, Elizabeth Varghese, Prince Jhandai & Kainat Ahmed
Back Row (L - R): Dr. Jennifer Philips, Dr. Jay Kolls, Dr. Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Dr. Kevin Harrod, Dr. Daniel Chertow & Dr. JoAnne Flynn
A big thank-you to EVERYONE who participated and helped make the day a success! OCRID is especially grateful to the EAC —Drs. Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Kevin Harrod, Jay Kolls, and Jennifer Phillips— for their ongoing support and dedication to helping OCRID achieve its mission.
Students: keep honing those abstract-writing skills—we hope to see you (and your posters) next year!
Thanks to our Sponsors!
