The University of Toledo Translation Journal of Medical Sciences 2022 Department of Medicine Research Symposium UTJMS 2023 May 5; 11(1):e1-e1 https://dx.doi.org/10.46570/utjms.vol11-2023-791 Editorial Lance D. Dworkin, MD1* 1Guest Editor, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614 *Corresponding author: Lance.Dworkin@utoledo.edu Published: 05 May 2023 This edition of Translation contains the abstracts submitted to the Third Annual installment Annual Research Symposium of the Department of Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine & Life Sciences. I wish to thank the editors and staff of the Journal for making this edition possible. It is the first time the abstracts of that meeting are being formally published and we greatly appreciate the opportunity. The Annual Research Symposium serves multiple important purposes for our department and the College. First, it calls attention to the depth and breadth of biomedical investigation, basic laboratory science, clinical translational, and quality and outcomes research that exists, but can be overshadowed by our clinical and educational missions. The research programs involve people at every level, including faculty, staff, post-doctoral fellows, clinical fellows, graduate students, residents, medical and undergraduate students, all working collaboratively on diverse projects in each of our 11 divisions. This year, approximately 140 abstracts were submitted to the symposium, the great majority of which have trainees as first or presenting authors. Each year as part of the symposium, we invite in a world class scientist to provide a keynote address. Bringing outstanding investigators on campus helps to energize us and to remind us what can be accomplished through science to better understand our world and to advance medical therapeutics. The opportunities I had as a trainee to listen and interact with leading investigators who came on campus are still some of my favorite memories from my entire academic career. Publishing the abstracts is also a critical component of the program. Even in a single department like Medicine, individual research efforts can become siloed and investigators with overlapping interests may be unaware of each other’s work. The published abstracts serve as a resource and database that investigators can access throughout the year to be better informed about ongoing work close to home and to identify potential collaborators. On a personal level, I am extremely proud of our trainees, faculty, and staff for their commitment to scholarship and to the active exchange of ideas demonstrated here. These are fundamental values for any academic department, and that I believe are clearly on display in these published proceedings. Lance D. Dworkin, MD Mercy Professor of Education & Chair Department of Medicine https://dx.doi.org/10.46570/utjms.vol11-2023-791 mailto:Lance.Dworkin@utoledo.edu