Doctoral research students compete in fourth annual research competition
June 25, 2026
The UTHealth Houston Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences hosted its fourth annual T1-T4 in 3 (Minutes) Translational Challenge on June 10. The eight in-person presenters and one online presenter, Natasha Garcia-Rodriguez, competed for monetary prizes to support their research.
Inspired by the Three Minute Thesis competition at the University of Queensland in Australia, the contest requires participants to present a summary of their research project in three minutes or less to a panel of judges and event attendees.
The challenge lies in effectively communicating complex concepts to a nonscientific audience, with focus on a unique aspect of translational science that connects a specific area of research to a community or population.
The competition is an exercise in connecting and communicating with lay people, bringing real-world relevance to each presenter's work. By translating their research, the young investigators make their work more impactful and compelling to community members and mainstream audiences.
The participants are part of the CCTS T32 trainee program led by Jeffrey Frost, PhD, associate dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs and professor of integrative biology and pharmacology at McGovern Medical School, and Joya Chandra, PhD, a faculty member at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences along with Frost. With funding from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the program prepares predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows to become leaders in clinical and translational science by developing essential core competencies and research skills.
The winners
1st place, $500: Ritu Bohat, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at UT MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, for “From Living Drug to Living Solution: MyD88/CD40-Boosted CAR-NK Cells as a Scalable, Safe, and Affordable Cell Therapy.”
2nd place, $300: Natalie West, predoctoral student at UT MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School, for “Using Advanced MRI Techniques to Improve Detection and Monitoring of Radiation-Induced Jaw Injury in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.”
3rd place, $200: Emma Wheeler, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at McGovern Medical School, for “GPR75 and GLP1R Agonists Work Separately for Reducing Diet-Induced Obesity.”
4th place, $100: Amit Niyogi, predoctoral student at Rice University, for “Speed Dating for Cancer-Fighting T Cells.”
Additional presenters
- Jack Adams, UT MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School
- Farinaz Barghi, PhD, UT MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School
- Natasha Garcia-Rodriguez, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- Amir Hernandez, PhD, Texas Tech Health El Paso
- Brian Koehler, UT MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School
The winners will advance to compete at the 2026 meeting of the Texas Regional CTSA Consortium at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in late September.