The Symposium concluded with the PSRS Awards Ceremony presented by Fackson Mwale, PhD, Chair of the PSRS Student Podium and Poster Awards, and PSRS Organizers. Congratulations to all those for presenting their posters and podium talks at the Symposium. Congratulations to all award recipients!

PSRS Podium Talk Award Recipients

Biomechanics, Modeling, and Disease Mechanisms
Biomechanics, Biomaterials, and Animal Models

1st Place
Ben Walter, PhD, The Ohio State University

S2.5: In-vivo Characterization of Human Lumbar Intervertebral Discs by Magnetic Resonance Elastography: Diurnal Changes in Shear Stiffness and Relationship with Degeneration

2nd Place
Amy Claeson, University of Delaware

Nucleotomy Alters Internal Strain Distribution of the Human Lumbar Intervertebral Disc

Cell and Molecular Biology of the Disc

1st Place
Sun Peck, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

S1.4: Whole-Transcriptome Profiling of Notochordal Cells during Embryonic Nucleus Pulposus Formation

2nd Place
Zachary Schoepflin, Thomas Jefferson University

S1.7: PHDs Control HIF-1 Transcriptional Activity Under Hypoxia Independent of PKM2 and JMJD5 in Nucleus Pulposus Cells

Mechanics of Disc Degeneration

Cell Biology, Disease and Pain Mechanisms

1st Place
Joshua Stover, University of Utah

S3.5: Degenerative IVDs Sensitize Sensory Neurons to Heat Stimuli via IL-6/AKAP/TRPV1 pathway

2nd Place
Hyowon Choi, Thomas Jefferson University

S4.5: Hypoxic Induction of Autophagy in Nucleus Pulposus is Independent of HIF-1α

Tissue Engineering and Disease Mechanics

1st Place
Prashanti Patil, University of Pittsburgh

S4.3: Older Mice Exposed to Young Systemic Environments Have Healthier Discs

2nd Place

Rahul Gawri, MD, PhD, University of Toronto

S3.14: Role of Inorganic Polyphosphates in Enhancing Nucleus Pulposus Tissue Formation In Vitro

PSRS Poster Award Recipients

Pathobiology Mechanisms and Pain

1st Place
Sun Peck, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

2nd Place
Nobuyuki Fujita, MD, PhD, Keio University School of Medicine

Biomechanics and Modeling

1st Place
Adam Abraham, PhD, Washington University, St. Louis

2nd Place
Ram Haddas, PhD, Texas Back Institute

Preclinical, Animal Models, and Clinical

1st Place
Hironobu Watanabe, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

2nd Place
John Martin, MS, University of Pennsylvania

Tissue Engineering and Imaging

1st Place
Abbey Thorpe, Materials and Engineering Research Institute, Sheffield Hallam University

2nd Place
John Martin, MS, University of Pennsylvania