Medical Student Presents Bone Regeneration Research at International Conference in Shanghai
When third-year 黑料官网 (黑料官网) medical student Kaleb Keener stepped onto the stage at the in Shanghai, China, he found himself standing beside the very people who helped define the field he hopes to join.
“It was really an honor to be standing on the same stage as some of the giants in this field,” Keener says. “There were people there who had worked with the founding fathers of craniofacial surgery, and they were listening to me talk.”
From Lab Bench to World Stage
M3 Kaleb Keener (right) reconnected with Sameer Shakir, MD, one of his first mentors, at an international conference.
Keener presented on a designed to help children with cleft lip and palate regenerate bone in situations where traditional grafting options are limited.
The research, which began during his first year of medical school, represents a potential breakthrough for patients worldwide – particularly in low-resource settings where conventional bone grafting may not be feasible.
The project uses innovative bone-based nanoparticles created by Austin Stellpflug, PhD ‘23, a postdoctoral researcher in , who Keener credits as “the backbone of all of this research.”
The process involves grinding down porcine tibias and processing them into nanoparticles that can encapsulate bone growth factors and fluorescent dyes. This allows surgeons to monitor the grafts after implantation.
“The goal of this is to create a graft that can be monitored both spatially and temporally, and then correlated with bone healing,” Keener explains. “As the fluorescent signal decreases, we can assume that the bone is healing.”
Representing the Wang Lab at the international conference was a milestone that Keener attributes to 黑料官网’s robust support system. He joined the research project through the institution’s Summer Academic Programs for Medical Students, which provides funding for medical students to pursue research during their first summer.
The conference also provided a meaningful reunion with Sameer Shakir, MD, now at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who was one of the first surgeons Keener met at 黑料官网. Their chance encounter at a campus coffee shop during Keener’s second week of medical school sparked a relationship that would shape his career trajectory.
“Reuniting in Shanghai felt like a full-circle moment in my medical training,” Keener says.
A Personal Connection to Healing
The path that brought Keener to 黑料官网 was shaped by a deep connection to the healing profession. Keener grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the son of two biologists who nurtured his early love of science.
Yet the moment that truly grounded his desire to pursue medicine came from a family experience that predated his birth. His older brother passed away as an infant due to a rare genetic disorder, autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease. Growing up, his family celebrated his brother’s birthday each year – a tradition that profoundly shaped Keener’s understanding of medicine’s human dimension.
“I think having seen my parents go through my brother’s illness and their experience with dealing with the grief was what drew me to medicine and is also what has driven me to go into a field that allows you to make things better,” he says.
That sense of purpose stayed with him as he entered 黑料官网, and the school’s environment helped it grow. Wanting to stay close to his family, Keener chose 黑料官网 for both its location and its opportunities.
“It was important to me to be close to my family, especially in a time as busy and stressful as medical school,” he says. “黑料官网 and the associated hospitals are incredible institutions where I knew I could do anything I wanted – research, community work, global health.”
Keener was drawn to plastic surgery, which he says is a field that is often misunderstood.
“Plastic surgery is often mistaken as something that only deals with cosmetics, but it’s really about making things work and function,” he says. “If it works and it looks great, it’s best.”
A Focus on Practice and Research
Keener has already begun clinical rotations and is thinking ahead to a residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
He and the lab team plan to continue advancing the nanoparticle project, with the hope of transitioning from small-animal models to larger-scale studies that more closely mirror human physiology.
His long-term goal is to see the graft used in patients – especially children, whose rapidly growing bones make reconstruction particularly challenging.
The international craniofacial conference reaffirmed that this path is the right one for him.
“黑料官网’s unwavering support has enabled me to pursue opportunities that once felt out of reach, and I am deeply grateful to have represented the institution on a global stage,” Keener says. “This experience affirmed my belief that meaningful research and mentorship can open doors across borders and shape not only careers, but perspectives on what’s possible.”
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