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MU School of Medicine Professor Smita Saxena addresses the PATHWAYS symposium. People in rows of chairs listen to Smita, who is on a stage with large TV screens behind her.

MU School of Medicine Professor Smita Saxena addresses demystifying neurodegenerative patterns, from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to dementia, with her PATHWAYS faculty talk.

NextGen Precision Health’s PATHWAYS symposium successfully debuted March 22, with nearly 200 researchers from across the University of Missouri System attending.

Held at the State Historical Society of Missouri in Columbia, the inaugural event centered on developing new scientific partnerships within the system and with private industry to target solutions for major health challenges in Missouri and beyond.

At PATHWAYS, research faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students from several disciplines discussed collaborations to lower research barriers and jump-start new projects.

Mizzou was represented at PATHWAYS by 56 poster presenters and three School of Medicine faculty speakers: Brett Froeliger, professor of psychiatry and director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Systems (CNS) advanced technology core facility; Smita Saxena, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and NextGen principal investigator; and Xing Song, assistant professor of biomedical informatics, biostatistics and medical epidemiology.

Next year, PATHWAYS will be held at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Highlighting the promise of personalized health care and the impact of large-scale interdisciplinary collaboration, the UM System’s NextGen Precision Health initiative is bringing together innovators from across the system’s four research universities, MU Health Care, MU Extension and industry partners in pursuit of life-changing precision health advancements. It’s a dynamic effort to leverage the strengths of the entire UM System toward a better future for Missouri’s health. The initiative is anchored at the Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building, a state-of-the-art research facility expanding collaborations between researchers, clinicians and industry leaders.

Nearly 200 researchers from across the University of Missouri System attended the inaugural NextGen Precision Health’s PATHWAYS symposium.

Nearly 200 researchers from across the University of Missouri System attended the inaugural NextGen Precision Health’s PATHWAYS symposium.

Dave Arnold, executive director of the NextGen Precision Health initiative, speaks at the PATHWAYS symposium.

Dave Arnold, executive director of the NextGen Precision Health initiative, speaks at the PATHWAYS symposium.

MU School of Medicine Assistant Professor Xing Song delivers her PATHWAYS faculty talk about a better understanding of ALS.

MU School of Medicine Assistant Professor Xing Song delivers her PATHWAYS faculty talk about a better understanding of ALS.

NextGen Precision Health’s PATHWAYS symposium included keynote speaker Thomas Pedersen, CEO of NMD Pharma, who speaks to a roomful of people.

NextGen Precision Health’s PATHWAYS symposium included keynote speaker Thomas Pedersen, CEO of NMD Pharma.

During his PATHWAYS faculty talk, MU Professor Brett Froeliger discusses translating addiction neuroscience research.

During his PATHWAYS faculty talk, MU Professor Brett Froeliger discusses translating addiction neuroscience research.

MU poster presenters at the PATHWAYS symposium included Ph.D. candidate Matthew Burke, who speaks in front of his poster.

MU poster presenters at the PATHWAYS symposium included Ph.D. candidate Matthew Burke.