Krystal Lee Rivera, a Ph.D. candidate in the UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, and mentee of Jillian Richter, Ph.D., presented an abstract last week in Boston at ShockCon, the annual conference of the Shock Society.

Rivera has been working closely with her mentor Richter, who is an associate professor in the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. Richter’s research focuses on understanding the role of the endothelial glycocalyx in regulating injury severity and outcomes in trauma patients with the goal to prevent glycocalyx damage or restore loss of glycocalyx function caused by trauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation (THR).

Rivera’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying vascular injury following trauma. She studies the role of hyaluronan fragments in trauma-induced endotheliopathy and organ injury, and has been working with Richter for over a year. In May of this year, she completed her qualifying exams and was admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.

Rivera presented her abstract entitled “Hyaluronan-CD44 signaling in trauma-induced endotheliopathy” at the conference. Rivera was also a recipient of the travel award presented by the Shock Society.

“This research explores critical pathways in trauma-induced endotheliopathy and potential therapeutic targets—an area I’m deeply passionate about,” Rivera said. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to present my work and connect with colleagues and researchers in the field.”