CRS Shines Bright at Summer Conferences

Pamela Monahan, Director of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, September 1, 2026

CRS enjoyed this summer’s research conference season. This past June, July, and August our community members attended and presented at ENDO (Endocrine Society), SSR (Society for the Study of Reproduction), and GRC (Gordon Research Conference on Mammalian Reproduction). CRS members traveled just down the street in Chicago, to Indianapolis and to Newry, Maine to network, engage, and learn about the latest advances in the reproductive and endocrine fields. And as always, CRS faculty, staff, and trainees were an important part of this year’s programming.

Laronda Lab at ENDO This year’s Endocrine Society’s annual meeting (ENDO 2026) was held June 13-16 in Chicago. Dr. Monica Laronda’s lab shared their current work, with Dr. Vicki Mourikes, postdoc, and Brianna Thompson, CRS T32 trainee, attending and presenting. Also in attendance were members of Dr. Serdar Bulun’s lab with Natalie Piehl, CRS trainee also showcasing her hard work during the poster session and Dr. Laura Torchen’s lab member and recent MS-RSM graduate Amanda Beaudouin presenting a poster of their master’s thesis work.

Julie Kim is named an SSR Fellow The Society for the Study of Reproduction, SSR, had their 59th annual meeting in Indianapolis with the theme of “Back to the Future, Foundational Knowledge for Future Innovations”. CRS community members shined at this year’s conference. Dr. Julie Kim was selected as Distinguished Fellow for the society, a fantastic achievement for her career and highlighting the excellence at Northwestern. Many CRS scientists showcased their work in poster and in oral presentations and helped moderate sessions: Dr. Aubrey Converse, Dr. Hoi Chang Lee, Dr. Jeff Pea, Dr. Shiyang Sun, Harun Cingoz (CRS Graduate Trainee), Prianka Hashim (CRS Graduate Trainee), Anna Heinrich (CRS Graduate Trainee), Hannah McDowell (CRS T32 Alum), Brianna Thompson (CRS T32 Trainee), and Lauren Haky (CRS Graduate Trainee). This year’s awards ceremony was packed with CRS representatives! Hannah McDowell was selected as a USDA Merit Awardee while Brianna Thompson, Lauren Haky, and Prianka Hashim were elected as Lalor Foundation Merit Awardees! Duncan Lab at SSR

Rounding out the summer, the Kim lab attended the Gordon Research Conference on Mammalian Reproduction where Dr. Julie Kim was chair of the conference and Harun Cingoz presented his research advancements.

Congrats to all our CRS members for another excellent summer of research conferences!