Ph.D. student Anita Shayan presenting her team’s work, “Changes to Staphylococcus aureus Morphology, Biofilm Formation, and Adhesion in Response to Honey as an Antibiotic: An Atomic Force Microscopy Study.”
JUNE 20, 2025 — The San Antonio Military Health and Universities Research Forum (SURF) joined forces with the Military Medical Industry Day (MMID) and AIM Health R&D for the second annual AIM Health R&D Summit on June 16, 2025, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
Hosted by VelocityTX, UTSA, UT Health San Antonio, the City of San Antonio and Bexar County the event welcomed over 600 researchers across the nation who are active in academia, industry and the military with the common goal of advancing research collaborations and studies for the benefit of civilian and military populations.
The summit began with opening remarks by San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and led into a larger conversation with keynote speaker Lt. Gen. Robert I. Miller (Ret.), executive director of the Military Health Institute at UT Health San Antonio. Between the two speakers, the summit’s welcome exhibited the city’s strong commitment to fostering innovation and pushing the boundaries of medical research.
A UTSA student gives podium presentation during the AIM forum.
With over 30 sessions ranging from topics such as the future of biodefense, mental health and sleep, space medicine and technology and leveraging non-profit support, attendees were invited to explore and connect with one another throughout the entirety of the conference.
“The most important part [of the forum] is actually just getting people together,” said Robert “Bob” Christy, SURF chair and deputy director of the Military Health Institute. “Even though we are in the same city or research institute, we don’t necessarily see or talk to everybody.”
In efforts of highlighting the upcoming talent across San Antonio, SURF hosted the 2025 Young Investigators podium and poster presentations at the AIM forum in which early-career researchers were given the opportunity to showcase their work to an extensive network of potential well-established collaborators.
The panel had over 85 poster submissions alone from across 22 institutions including UTSA, UT Health SA, the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) and the 59th Medical Wing of the Air Force. Co-chaired by Maria Gonzalez-Porras and Hugo Giambini, both assistant professors in the UTSA Department of Biomedical Engineering, the poster sessions and podium panels encouraged innovation and impact among a variety of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students.
“A lot of national meetings now don’t necessarily give an opportunity for younger researchers to present, and that is one of the big advantages of SURF,” Christy continued. “We have a wide array of established investigators, but SURF really does concentrate mostly on students and post-doctoral fellows to present their research,”
Gonzalez-Porras further underscored the importance of supporting young talent, asserting that “Young investigators are essential to advancing science and innovation. Investing in them not only supports bold, fresh ideas but also provides critical visibility that helps them build confidence, find new collaborators, and embrace the impact of their work.”
David Zhang, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate at UTSA majoring in biomedical engineering with a focus on nanomaterial drug delivery, adipose metabolism, and endocrinology, delivered a podium presentation during the event. Working under the guidance of Gonzalez-Porras, Eric Brey, the David and Jennifer Spencer Distinguished Chair and Achraf Noureddine (University of New Mexico), Zhang voiced that “the hope is to advance medical care in the area of wound healing and to better understand the important role adipose tissue plays in the process.”
“For me,” Zhang continues, “[pursuing research] has been an amazing opportunity to learn from my mentors, and I would advise my fellow students to follow their passion and push forward with future research for the betterment of all mankind.”
Session recordings, keynote highlights and innovation showcase from the 2025 AIM Forum can be found here.
The AIM Health R&D Summit will return in 2026, continuing to support emerging technologies “from the bench to the battlefield.”
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Move In To COLFA is strongly recommended for new students in COLFA. It gives you the chance to learn about the Student Success Center, campus resources and meet new friends!
Academic Classroom: Lecture Hall (MH 2.01.10,) McKinney Humanities BldgWe invite you to join us for Birds Up! Downtown, an exciting welcome back event designed to connect students with the different departments at the Downtown Campus. Students will have the opportunity to learn about some of the departments on campus, gain access to different resources, and collect some giveaways!
Bill Miller PlazaCome and celebrate this year's homecoming at the Downtown Campus with food, games, giveaways, music, and more. We look forward to seeing your Roadrunner Spirit!
Bill Miller PlazaThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
