Agenda

Nov. 9, 2026

8:00 a.m.
Registration / Breakfast Buffet

9:00 a.m.
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Matthew Rizzo, MD, FAAN, FANA
Frances & Edgar Reynolds Chair; Professor, Department of Neurological Sciences; Principal Investigator, Director, Great Plains IDeA-CTR-N, UNMC

9:10 a.m.
Remarks From the University of Nebraska System President
Jeffrey P. Gold, MD
President, University of Nebraska System

9:20 a.m.
Keynote: National Perspectives on Translational Science 
Joni Rutter, PhD
Director, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

9:50 a.m.
Discussion and Q&A

10:00 a.m.
The IDeA Program and the Future of Regional Research Capacity
Darren Sledjeski, PhD 
Acting Deputy Director, NIGMS, NIH

10:30 a.m. 
Discussion and Q&A

10:45 a.m. 
DataCOUNTS: Building Data Capacity for Collaborative Translational Science
Susan K. Gregurick, PhD (via Zoom)
Associate Director for Data Science, NIH; Director, Office of Data Science Strategy, NIH

11:00 a.m.
National Perspectives: Connecting Data, Infrastructure, and Translational Science
Panelists: 
Susan K. Gregurick, PhD (via Zoom)
Joni Rutter, PhD
Darren Sledjeski, PhD

11:30 a.m.
Lunch / Networking / 10th Anniversary Recognition

1:00 p.m.
Data, AI, and the Infrastructure for Learning Research Networks
Jiang Bian, PhD
Chief Data Scientist, Regenstrief Institute; Professor, Indiana University

1:50 p.m.
Discussion and Q&A

2:00 p.m.
Making Research Networks Work, Part I: Building Research-Ready Networks — From Capacity to Use
Panelists:
Janis E. Campbell, PhD, MSc, GISP
Professor of Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Director, Evaluation Core, Oklahoma Shared Clinical and Translational Resources (OSCTR)

Allen Greiner, MD, MPH
Nason Family Endowed Professor and Vice Chair of Research and Community Health, University of Kansas Medical Center

Joseph Keaweʻaimoku Kaholokula, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Native Hawaiian Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Korey Kennelty, PharmD, MS, PhD, BCGP
Patrick E. Keefe Professor in Pharmacy and Vice Chair for Research & Implementation Science, University of Iowa; Director, Iowa Research Network 

Jane McElroy, PhD
Professor of Family and Community Medicine, University of Missouri; Co-Director, Missouri Practice-Based Innovations Network and Rural Health Research Center  

Sebastian Tong, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Family Medicine, University of Washington; Associate Director, WWAMI Region Practice and Research Network 

3:00 p.m.
Break

3:15 p.m. 
Making Research Networks Work, Part II: From Regional Networks to National Translational Science
Discussion led by Robert P. Kimberly, MD
Howard L. Holley Research Chair in Rheumatology and Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine

Darren Sledjeski, PhD 

4:15 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Howard Fox, MD, PhD
Senior Associate Dean for Research and Development, UNMC College of Medicine; Co-Director, Great Plains IDeA-CTR-N