The 2025 Scientific Careers Retreat held Friday, October 10, 2025, was a vibrant and inspiring event that brought together over 100 registered attendees from across the biomedical sciences community. Hosted in the Urmila Sahai Lecture Hall (2117 MERF), the retreat offered a day of insights, networking, and career exploration.

The retreat featured a diverse lineup of speakers representing academia, industry, and clinical research, including:

Nick Schnicker, PhD – Core Director, University of Iowa
Steve Glenn, PhD – Staff Scientist, Integrated DNA Technologies
Theresa Zucchero, PhD – Senior Research Scientist, Rho
Rich Davis, PhD – Director of Clinical Microbiology, Sacred Heart Medical Center
Mark Garbrecht, PhD – Principal Investigator, Winona University
Patrick Kelly, PhD – US Medical Director, Tick-borne Vaccines, Pfizer
Gina McGrane, PhD – Instructor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa

The day began with lunch and opening remarks, followed by individual speaker sessions and a panel discussion. Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with speakers during the afternoon Social-Light Reception, and many continued conversations during small-group dinners, which were arranged through pre-registration.