The 2025 AIM-AHEAD Annual Meeting featured a pre-conference networking session on Monday evening, July 7, held in the Crystal Ballroom Foyer of the Renaissance Dallas Addison Hotel. Attendees picked up their complimentary AIM-AHEAD t-shirts, enjoyed light refreshments, and spent time reconnecting with colleagues, meeting new members of the consortium, and sharing their experiences working with AIM-AHEAD. For many, it was their first time meeting long-time collaborators in person after years of virtual communication, which was reflected in the overall excitement and engagement felt by attendees throughout this opening event.

Dr. Jamboor “JK” Vishwanatha, AIM-AHEAD Contact PI and Regents Professor and Vice President at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (UNTHSC), welcomed attendees and expressed his appreciation to the members of the AIM-AHEAD Program and Planning Committees for their extensive efforts in planning this year's conference. He specifically acknowledged several members of the AIM-AHEAD Central Hub team at UNTHSC for their work in hosting the conference, and also recognized the AIM-AHEAD Communications Hub at UTHealth Houston for developing the 2025 AIM-AHEAD Annual Meeting Program Book, which provided attendees registered on AIM-AHEAD Connect with easy access to information about speakers, sessions, and poster presentations.

Dr. Vishwanatha then introduced the evening’s facilitator, Dr. Dimitrios Karamichos, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, who warmly welcomed attendees to the networking session. Dr. Karamichos’ sincere message encouraged meaningful conversation and helped set the tone for the days ahead.

Dr. Karamichos also serves as Executive Director and Endowed Chair of the North Texas Eye Research Institute and recently served as Interim Dean of the College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences. A tenured professor with appointments in pharmacology, neuroscience, and pharmaceutical sciences, he is widely recognized for his research on corneal trauma and disease, including keratoconus and diabetic keratopathy. He earned his PhD from University College London and completed postdoctoral training at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.