Welcome to the 20th Annual Research Presentations
Join us as young researchers showcase groundbreaking findings across clinical medicine. Hosted at Haukeland University Hospital, this three-day event features both poster and oral presentations, offering a unique opportunity for academic inspiration, networking, and insight into the future of medical research.
Download Programme (external link)
The following times are approximate. If presenters finish early, we may run slightly ahead of schedule. All presentaions will be held in English.
Wednesday, 28.01.2026 – Posters
Location: Main foyer, Sentralblokka, Haukeland University Hospital
Session 1: Cardiology and Endocrinology
09:30 – Most Champa Begum – Proteomic signatures link clinical parameters to the risk of microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes
09:35 – Miguel Angel Juarez Garzon – Phenotypic Clustering of Pediatric Diabetes Reveals Clinical, Genetic and Metabolic Differences Independent of Autoantibody Status
09:40 – Sebastian Solhiem – Trends and Outcomes in Diabetic Ketoacidosis: A 10-Year Retrospective Study at a Norwegian University Hospital
09:45 – Hilde Halland – Progressive inflammation in proteomic profile underlies increased blood pressure in obese individuals
09:50 – Elise Botnevik Almeland – The impact of statin use on calcified plaque burden in patients with nonobstructive coronary artery disease
09:55 – Silja Hanseth – Coronary calcium score and CT angiography in myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries
10:00 – Aisteja Selmyte-Besuspare – Sex hormones as markers of cardiovascular organ damage in women with overweight and obesity
Session 2: Neurology and Psychiatry
10:15 – Max Korbmacher – Normative Modelling of Brain Volume Enables Diagnostic and Prognostic Stratification in Multiple Sclerosis
10:20 – Max Korbmacher – Robust Predictors of Disability Progression & Processing Speed Decline
10:25 – Anna Rubiolo – Complex I deficiency in POLG and Parkinson’s disease: differential involvement of mtDNA defects
10:30 – Kira Höffler – Epigenetic Markers of Response to Psychotherapy in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
10:35 – Kjersti Sellevåg – Diverging trajectories of depressive symptoms during ECT: Towards personalized treatment
Session 3: Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases
10:55 – Anne Kristine Brekka – Inspiratory laryngeal observations during non-invasive ventilation titration in individuals with COPD
11:00 – Petrine Solli – A randomized controlled trial (RCT), adding inspiratory muscle training to standard treatment for exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO)
11:05 – Amalie Borlaug – Antibody landscapes following seasonal influenza vaccination in children and pregnant women in Bangladesh
11:10 – Guri Kringeland – Antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance genes in the lower airways in patients with chronic lung disease
11:15 – Jahid Tipu – Diversity of domestic and imported assemblages of Giardia in Norway and multi-locus sequence typing of domestic assemblage A isolates
11:20 – Adrianna Jebrzycka – Reduced interferon-stimulated signature in the thymus has limited impact on peripheral T cell transcriptomes in Aire-deficient mice
11:25 – Ala Bassam Qadan – Adalimumab in the management of refractory Idiopathic Retinal Vasculitis, Aneurysms, and Neuroretinitis (IRVAN) syndrome: A Case Report
Session 4: Oncology
12:30 – Karoline Fjeldstad – Multiparametric flow cytometry panel reveals fibroblast heterogeneity in head and neck cancers
12:35 – Oda Fløtre – Capturing cervical cancer diversity: patient-derived organoid models for preclinical drug testing
12:40 – May Eriksen Gjerstad – IL22R-targeting combinatorial CAR T cells for solid malignancies
12:45 – Angela Mesquita – Development of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of myelodysplastic syndromes
12:50 – Nicolas Fuenzalida – Myeloid-Specific Immunomodulatory Profiles Predict Relapse in Patients With Non-metastatic Proximal Colon Cancer
12:55 – Anna Gorbunova – Spatial mapping of PD1–PD-L2 interactions suggests an additional checkpoint axis in non–small cell lung cancer
13:00 – Ghazal Lessan Toussi – Combining PLA and Imaging Mass Cytometry for Immune Checkpoint Signalling
13:15 – Lucrezia Berton – Chemotherapy reshapes the evolutionary trajectories of breast cancer
13:20 – Mari Eskild Rasmussen – Impact of TP53 and HRD status on 5-year survival in TNBC treated with sequential neoadjuvant olaparib and high-dose cyclophosphamide/carboplatin (the PETREMAC trial)
13:25 – Sunniva Brownrigg – An ER-stress inducing mutation of the carboxyl ester lipase gene (CEL) stimulates KRAS-driven early pancreatic carcinogenesis
13:30 – Lorena Larios – Modulation of Drug Sensitivity Testing by Head and Neck Cancer Cell Model Systems
13:35 – Alexander Marks – Stromal Alpha-Smooth Muscle Actin Predicts Aggressive Disease in HPV-Positive Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients
13:40 – Daniel Rodrigo Villarroel Fernandez – Experimental Induction of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAF) Phenotypes for Functional Studies of the Tumor Microenvironment
Session 5: Genetics and Pathology
13:55 – Nicolas Fragoso Bargas – GWAS of infant and early childhood height identifies 179 loci and reveals three clusters with different biology
14:00 – Adina Lupu – Sex-specific effects on the genetic architecture of childhood height
14:05 – Jennifer Janani Antonychasan – Organizational Readiness for AI in Pathology: A Regional Pre-Implementation Survey Study
Thursday, 29.01.2026 – Oral Presentations
Location: Room B301, 3rd floor, Sentralblokka, Haukeland University Hospital
Session 1: Neurological Diseases
10:15 – Jenny Linnea Victoria Lindros – Medication Use Trajectories in Myasthenia Gravis Pregnancies: A Drug Utilization Study
10:30 – Daniela Contreras – CGRP monoclonal antibodies for migraine and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes: Norway’s Headache Health – a nationwide registry-based cohort study from 2018 to 2022
10:45 – Shamundeeswari Anandan – Brain-derived blood extracellular vesicles as potential treatment response biomarkers in multiple sclerosis patients receiving anti-CD20 therapy
11:00 – Dewaki Chhetri – Rethinking Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency: Comparative Analysis of Experimental Models and Epithelial Marker Expression
Session 2: Endocrinology & Cardiology
11:30 – Isil Kucuka – Primary Adrenal Insufficiency in the Young, Consider APS-1
11:45 – Aishwarya Pavithram – Functional analyses improve HNF1B diagnostics and prevalence in Norwegian MODY Diabetes Registry and Norwegian Childhood Diabetes Registry
12:00 – Viola I.L Thulin – Point-of-Care High-sensitivity cardiac troponin testing in the Emergency department – Insights from the WESTCOR-POC Randomized Trial
12:15 – Silja Hanseth – Relationship between coronary artery calcium score and plaque vulnerability by coronary CT angiography in non-obstructive coronary artery disease
Session 3: Genetics and Oncology
13:15 – Michelle B Verstraaten – Fine-scale population structure in the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa): quality control of new genotype set
13:30 – Palesa Chabunya – Perceptions and experiences of breast cancer patients in southern Malawi
13:45 – Tessa Lohr – Dual interactions between breast cancer and peripheral neurons: Investigating the role of axon guidance factors
14:15 – Lorena Larios – Novel double functionalized nanodiamonds for targeted treatment to prevent oral cancer recurrence
14:30 – Jostein Sæterstøl – Is Visceral Adipose Tissue Metabolism Linked to Aggressiveness in Endometrial Cancer?
14:45 – Luka Tandaric – Rethinking High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma: Towards Personalized Immunotherapy through Preclinical, Translational and Clinical Evaluation of Combined CD73 and PD-L1 Blockade
Friday, 30.01.2026
Location: Main foyer, Sentralblokka, Haukeland University Hospital
12:00 – Award Ceremony