You Are Invited!

Please join us to celebrate our members’ and trainees’ accomplishments

Thursday, August 13, 2026

11:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

McKimmon Conference & Training Center

This year’s event will again be a combined event with the with “Think, Collaborate & Do” Ideation Event in the morning and the Summit in the afternoon. To participate in the Ideation Event, you must register separately using the button below.

We are also seeking Associate Member volunteers to help run the event. To find out more or to sign up, use the “Volunteer” button below, or contact Valerie Baker Vella at [email protected].

Example Agenda

• 11:30-12:50 Lunch, Guest Speaker Keynote Address
• 12:45-12:55 Intro to Afternoon Session
• 12:55-1:25 Division Focus–Clinical & Translational Sciences
• 1:25-1:55 Division Focus–Data Enabled Modeling
• 1:55-2:15  Entrepreneurship Highlights
• 2:15-3:00 Poster Session 1
• 3:00-3:30  Division Focus–Engineered Biomedical Systems
• 3:30-4:00  Poster Session Group 2
• 4:00-4:20 Education: YSP & SIRI Student Highlights
• 4:20-4:30 Awards Presentation
• 4:30-5:00 Poster Breakdown
• 4:30-6:00 Social Hour (Off Campus)

Please Note: The McKimmon Center has ample free, dedicated parking.

Keynote Speaker

Dr. James “Jimi” Cook

After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and competing for 5 years as a professional waterskier, Dr. James (Jimi) Cook completed his DVM in 1994 and PhD in 1998. In 1999, he founded the Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory at the University of Missouri, a multi-disciplinary team of physicians, veterinarians, engineers, and basic scientists dedicated to translational orthopaedic research, which has now been endowed and moved into its own 12,000 sq ft facility as the Thompson Laboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics. He has over 450 peer-reviewed publications, over $50 million in research funding, OTC and OTSC certifications to provide care for human patients, received numerous awards including America’s Best Veterinarian, The Marshall Urist Award from the Orthopaedic Research Society, and was a member of the inaugural CoMO 100 class recognizing those who shaped the city of Columbia, Missouri. He holds 42 patents including the MOPS^® technology. He is currently Professor and the William and Kathryn Allen Distinguished Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery, Vice Chair of Orthopaedic Research, and Director of the Mizzou Joint & Limb Preservation Center at the University Hospital’s Missouri Orthopaedic Institute. He is also co-founder of Be The Change Volunteers a NGO dedicated to building schools in remote villages in the developing world whose teams have built 90 educational facilities in 17 countries, providing educational opportunities to more than 10,000 students.

Poster Sessions

All CMI Members & Associate Members are invited to present a poster. Sign up by Monday, August 10th if you would like to present your work using the link below. Please note that CMI does not print faculty or AM posters for this session.

**SIRI, U-TEAM, and AHA Undergraduates are required to participate in the poster competition.** The poster submission deadline for undergraduates is Wednesday, August 5th to allow time for CMI to print posters. Other undergraduate and graduate trainees are strongly encouraged to participate as well, but are not required.

Students are also encouraged to invite family and friends to see their presentations as well as any research talks they may be giving during the Summit itself. Registration for family and friends is requested only if they plan to attend the luncheon.

Questions? Email Valerie Vella ([email protected])