Illuminating the Future
For 10 years, U of U Health has showcased faculty at the forefront of their careers through Vitae, a celebration of world-changing insights and research—and the humans behind them.
By Julie Kiefer
Photo courtesy of University of Utah
A showcase of some of the brightest minds and best ideas at the University of Utah, Vitae 2022 marked the 10th year of highlighting rising-star faculty at the forefront of their careers. For the first time, members of the community joined the celebration, giving them intimate insights into the impactful research at U of U Health. Vitae spotlights the human side of science, allowing the audience to understand each presenter’s passion for their life’s work. The enthusiasm was electric throughout the evening, inspiring event organizers to make the event even bigger in future years.
“Vitae has a reputation for being a unique, engaging event that connects people with university researchers and their science in ways they haven’t before,” explains Michael Rubin, MD, PhD, vice chair of faculty affairs for the Department of Internal Medicine and host of Vitae since 2016. “Vitae provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for scientists to talk about their work in a very personal way. Adding that dimension gives a glimpse into the genesis of inspiration and innovation.”
Throughout the years, Vitae has brought together scientists from a broad range of fields, from laboratory science to interventions designed to benefit communities—illuminating the full range of scientific expertise at U of U Health.
“If you want to see what the future of health looks like, Vitae is it,” says Rachel Hess, MD, MS, associate vice president for research at U of U Health. “The caliber of our investigators is second to none, and the mysteries and challenges they seek to solve are amazing. The discoveries they are making are more than incremental. Taken together you can see how we are transforming medicine to improve human health.”
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
2013
Josh Bonkowsky, MD, PhD
In addition to being chief of pediatric neurology, Bonkowsky is medical director of the Center for Personalized Medicine, a collaborative initiative between Intermountain Healthcare and U of U Health. He also helped launch NeoSeq, a program to rapidly identify genetic causes of disease in critically ill newborns.
2013
Nels Elde, PhD
Elde was selected as a MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient in 2020, became a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, and is a Mario R. Capecchi Endowed Chair of Genetics at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine.
2013
Janet Iwasa, PhD
Iwasa leads a world-renowned, one-of-a-kind molecular animation lab that creates visualizations to support research and scientific communication. The lab’s award-winning animations have appeared in Nature, Science, and Cell journals and the New York Times. She was named a 2014 TED fellow and recognized as one of the “100 Leading Global Thinkers” by Foreign Policy magazine.
2014
Jennifer Majersik, MD, MS
Majersik is now co-director of the Utah Clinical and Translational Science Institute, director of the University of Utah Stroke Center and TeleStroke Program, and primary investigator of NIH-funded UT StrokeNet Regional Coordinating Center. She was selected as a Fulbright Scholar in 2021.