Star Power 2025: Chatting with This Year’s Rising Star Power Talks Winners

Each year at ENDO, early-career and in-training members get their chances to shine bright at the Rising Star Power Talks. Endocrine News caught up with this year’s winners during ENDO 2025 in San Francisco last month to learn more about their research, future plans, and more.

During last month’s ENDO 2025 in San Francisco, Room 2 at the Moscone Center was buzzing as it was packed with endocrine scientists and researchers from around the world who were all there to check out the 2025 Rising Stars Power Talks.  

To say that this event is fast paced would be an understatement; each of the 15 participants had only three minutes to present their research, accompanied by a projected slide that changed and adjusted as they progress through their research findings. After each presentation, there are only two minutes for questions from the audience of observers, judges, mentors, and fellow participants.

Once known as the Knockout Rounds, the Rising Stars Power talks is hosted by the Endocrine Society’s Trainee and Career Development Committee (TCDCC) and is always an intense and informative event as early-career and in-training Endocrine Society members get the chance to communicate their groundbreaking research with an audience of their peers.

“One of the core goals of our training and career development programming is to integrate budding early-career endocrinologists into the broader field and the Society,” says Matthew Sikora, PhD, associate professor, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo., and TCDCC co-chair. “Perhaps a favorite approach for us is to showcase the remarkable work these trainees and fellows undertake in their labs and clinics. The Rising Stars talks help us demonstrate the breadth of research that the next generation addresses, while highlighting their expertise and unique contributions to endocrinology.”

The judges and audience decided the winners of this blitz style research communication competition, and this year’s winners were Basic Science: Emily Hilz, PhD, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas;  Translational Science: Rossella Cannarella,MD, PhD, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; Clinical: Iza Franklin Machado, MD, Discipline of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; and two People’s Choice winners this year: Hannah M. Hooker, MSc, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom; and Mohammed Safar, PharmB, MSc, PhD, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom. However, the research in the abstract Machado presented was led by her colleague, Flavia Tinano. Unfortunately, Tinano was unable to attend ENDO, so Machado stepped in to present as the study’s co-author. Therefore, Machado is responding regarding the presentation itself and Tinano is responding to questions specific to the research.  

Endocrine News was actually in the “room where it happened” and caught up with this year’s winners to find out more about their award-winning research, their future research goals, how it felt to present in a room of their peers, and more.

Endocrine News: Tell us a little bit about the research that you presented at the session.

Rossella Cannarella: I presented our recent work titled “Beyond DNA: Impact of sperm IGF2 mRNA on early embryo development and fertility.” This study builds on earlier pilot findings suggesting that sperm carry more than just genetic material — they also carry RNA transcripts, such as IGF2 mRNA, which appear to play a role in early embryogenesis. We conducted a prospective study over three years, analyzing sperm samples from infertile men undergoing ART and comparing them to fertile controls. We found that IGF2 mRNA levels were significantly lower in the sperm of infertile patients compared to fertile controls. Moreover, lower IGF2 mRNA levels in sperm are significantly associated with delayed embryo development milestones. Importantly, these effects were independent of traditional sperm parameters and persisted even after adjusting for female factors. This research suggests that sperm RNA content — specifically IGF2 mRNA — may serve as a novel biomarker for fertility and embryo viability.

Emily Hilz: My presentation focused on how exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) early in life can affect food choices and the brain. In the study, my research group exposed pregnant rats to a low-dose mixture of EDCs that reflect real-world exposures. When the offspring of these animals grew up, we measured how much they consumed sugary and fatty foods. Interestingly, we found that early life EDC exposure increased later consumption of sugar and fat in a sex-specific manner – males drank more sugary solution, and females ate more fatty food.

I then examined how EDC exposure affected brain regions involved in reward and eating behavior. Using RNA sequencing, I found that EDCs caused broad changes in gene expression in male brains, and more targeted changes in females. One region of the brain really stood out: the nucleus accumbens, which is an important region of the brain for processing reward and driving motivation. Changes to functional gene sets in this region predicted the animals’ altered eating behavior, suggesting that early-life EDC exposure may increase the desire for highly palatable foods through disruptions to the brain reward system.

“The opportunity to network and discuss my work with leading scientists and peers was invaluable. These conversations have already prompted me to consider my research from new angles and have opened up exciting possibilities for future collaborations. The Endocrine Society acts as a powerful catalyst; it brings the right people from all over the world together, fosters a genuine spirit of scientific exchange, and creates a platform where a single conversation can spark the next phase of your research.” – Mohammed Adnan Safar, PharmB, MSc, PhD, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom

Hannah Hooker: My research focuses on improving the prediction of pre-eclampsia, one of the most common and potentially serious conditions in pregnancy. Specifically, I’m looking at how we can enhance the performance of the currently used sFlt-1/PlGF ratio — a blood test used in those with suspected pre-eclampsia — by identifying additional serum biomarkers. At ENDO 2025, I presented findings from a metabolomics study showing that adding certain metabolites to the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio can help detect cases that are currently being missed, potentially leading to earlier intervention and better outcomes.

Mohammed Safar: I presented my researched titled “Unravelling the Regulation of the Kisspeptin Receptor (kiss1r) Through Its Interaction With G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor (gper)” which covered the investigation into the molecular interplay between two crucial receptors in reproductive health: the Kisspeptin receptor (Kiss1R) and the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER). My research sought to understand if and how these receptors interact, specifically focusing on how GPER influences Kiss1R’s primary functions; its downstream signaling, its rate of internalization, and its recruitment of beta-arrestin. To build a complete picture, we conducted a detailed pharmacological comparison of the receptor’s response to its native ligands versus two novel synthetic ligands, which provided key insights into the mechanics of this interaction.

Flavia Tinano: Our research focused on how the timing of a woman’s first period, known as age at menarche, can predict her long-term health. Using data from over 7,600 Brazilian women aged 35 to 74 years, we found that both very early and very late menarche are linked to distinct health risks later in life. Early menarche (before age 10) was associated with higher chances of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and pregnancy-related complications like pre-eclampsia. In contrast, women with late menarche (after age 15) were less likely to be obese but had more menstrual irregularities and a higher risk of certain cardiovascular problems. This research helps us better understand how early life events can shape a woman’s health decades later, especially in underrepresented populations like those in Latin America.

EN: What inspired you to undertake this specific research?

Cannarella: What motivated me was a growing curiosity about the non-genetic contributions of sperm to embryonic development. Despite advances in reproductive medicine, many cases of male infertility remain idiopathic, and conventional semen analysis doesn’t always explain poor embryo development or implantation failure. When the pilot study (PMID: 39312692) hinted at a possible role for IGF2 mRNA in embryo kinetics, I saw a promising avenue to explore. I wanted to understand whether sperm RNAs, particularly IGF2, could serve as functional markers or even therapeutic targets in the ART setting.

In addition, the idea that the spermatozoon might carry not just DNA but a kind of molecular spark — a signal capable of igniting the complex process of embryogenesis — was truly fascinating to me. It reframes the role of the male gamete, suggesting it could actively influence early developmental dynamics in ways we are only beginning to uncover.

Hilz: My background is in behavioral neuroscience; specifically, how female hormones contribute to basic cognitive processes like attention and motivation. When I joined Dr. Andrea Gore’s lab in 2021 as a postdoctoral fellow, I was introduced to the fascinating (and equally troubling) world of EDCs. With support from the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), I began to study the cognitive impacts of early-life EDC exposure, and over the course of that research, I noticed that EDC-exposed animals consume sweets preferentially and have disruptions in the brain reward system. I was already familiar with “obesogens” (i.e., EDCs that promote obesity and disrupt metabolism), but most of the research in that area focuses on changes in fat storage and metabolic signaling. Since many of the brain systems that support cognition also help regulate appetite, food preferences, and motivation, I began to wonder if EDC exposure could predispose animals to obesity through food choice and reward motivation. That idea shaped the direction of this project. While others have studied EDCs and eating behavior, my focus on food choices and their ultimate connection to cognition is a new and understudied angle that could help us identify new targets for intervention.

Hooker: I was drawn to this project because of its potential to address a real clinical challenge — while the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio has been a major step forward in predicting pre-eclampsia, some patients still receive normal results and go on to develop the condition. I was also excited by the opportunity to apply some of the latest advances in multi-omic technologies and data science. Given that pre-eclampsia is such a complex, multi-system condition, this approach felt like a promising way to better understand the underlying biology and ultimately make a real difference for patients.

Safar: The inspiration for this project stemmed directly from a puzzling and significant clinical observation from our group at Imperial College London. In a previous study, Dr. Abbara noted that women pre-treated with both MVT-602/TAK448, a Kiss1R agonist, and estradiol, which activates GPER, showed a synergistically elevated level of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) compared to those treated with the Kiss1R agonist alone. This suggested a previously uncharacterized possible functional “crosstalk” between the two receptors. I was driven to take this research to the next level by performing a mechanistic deep dive to understand the molecular basis for this synergy. Uncovering why this happens is the first step toward potentially harnessing this interaction for improved therapeutic strategies in reproductive medicine.

“In many parts of the world, including Latin America, there’s still a lack of large-scale studies that focus specifically on women and how early life events, like age at menarche, can impact long-term health. Most of the existing research in this field has been conducted in high-income countries, so we saw a real need to generate data that reflects the reality of women in Brazil.” – Flavia Tinano, Discipline of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Tinano: I’ve always been passionate about women’s health, especially reproductive health, which is often overlooked or underfunded, particularly in developing countries. In many parts of the world, including Latin America, there’s still a lack of large-scale studies that focus specifically on women and how early life events, like age at menarche, can impact long-term health. Most of the existing research in this field has been conducted in high-income countries, so we saw a real need to generate data that reflects the reality of women in Brazil. By studying these patterns in a large and diverse Latin American cohort, we hope to bring more attention to women’s health and help tailor prevention strategies that are more inclusive and regionally relevant.

EN: How did it feel to present your work in such a lively environment among your peers and mentors?

Cannarella: It was an incredibly rewarding experience. Presenting at ENDO 2025 was both humbling and invigorating — it offered a unique platform to engage with international experts in endocrinology and reproductive medicine. The feedback and discussion generated by the session were inspiring and reinforced the value of this line of research. There’s a real sense of community and shared purpose at ENDO, and I was honored to contribute to that dialogue.

Hilz: I am always a little nervous prior to a research presentation, but once I got up there everything fell into place, and it felt more like a conversation than a presentation. The best part was the discussion that came afterwards – I met a lot of great people, got some interesting feedback, and even found myself talking about future collaborations. That’s basically everything you could want from a talk!

Hooker: It was a huge privilege to share my work at ENDO 2025, even if it was a bit nerve-wracking to present in front of some of the leading researchers in the field! The experience was both exciting and rewarding, and I really appreciated the thoughtful questions and engagement from the audience. It was a fantastic opportunity to hear about and contribute, even in a small way, to the incredible work being done by the global research community.

Machado: It was an incredible experience to present our work at ENDO 2025 in San Francisco. Sharing our research with colleagues from around the world and receiving their feedback and questions was both rewarding and inspiring. It was also a great opportunity to connect with experts in the field and to see how our work fits into the global efforts to improve women’s health.

Safar: It was an incredible experience. As my first time attending ENDO, I’ll admit I was quite nervous presenting to such a distinguished audience. However, that feeling quickly faded because of the remarkably welcoming and supportive atmosphere. The engagement from my colleagues was fantastic. The absolute highlight, which made me feel truly embraced by this community, was winning the public vote for the Rising Star award. It was a humbling and profoundly motivating moment. This entire experience has solidified my commitment to being an active member of the Endocrine Society for years to come, it certainly won’t be my last ENDO.

EN: Can you explain what sort of impact the Endocrine Society has had on your research career?

Cannarella: The Endocrine Society has played a pivotal role in shaping my academic and research trajectory. Its conferences, publications, and professional network have provided both inspiration and critical feedback that have helped me refine my research questions and methodologies. Being part of a global community committed to advancing endocrine science is deeply motivating. The Society’s support for early-career researchers and its emphasis on translational research have been especially valuable.

“By encouraging and giving visibility to scientists from all over the world, including those from underrepresented regions such as Brazil and Latin America, the Society inspires us to remain persistent in our research goals. It creates a truly inclusive scientific environment where early-career professionals feel seen, supported, and motivated.” – Iza Franklin Machado, MD, Discipline of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Equally important has been the Society’s inclusive and empowering environment, which has enabled me to take on leadership roles, develop coordination and strategic skills, and engage meaningfully with esteemed colleagues who are internationally recognized in the field. Serving as chair of the Special Interest Group on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and being appointed to the Special Program Committee have both been defining opportunities, contributing significantly to my professional development and sense of belonging within this vibrant scientific community.

Hilz: The Endocrine Society has been a huge supporter of my research, career development, and advocacy efforts from the start. I have had the distinct honor of presenting oral abstract sessions at ENDO for the past three years, so in a way I feel each year I am coming back to tell the next chapter of the story and watching the endocrine community’s interest in EDCs grow along with me. My first year at ENDO I received an Outstanding Oral Abstract Award and participated in a news panel on EDCs. My second year I received a Young Investigator Award from Women in Endocrinology and subsequently got involved in WE leadership, and this year of course I joined the Rising Stars Rapid Fire presentation competition – which was a fun challenge that really motivated me to improve my research communication skills. Each year I meet leaders in the field and across disciplines and talk to practitioners interested in the clinical implications of EDCs. These conversations motivate me to keep expanding my research and addressing questions directly relevant to human health.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention that Endocrine News published a feature piece on my EDC scanner app (Endoscreen.org) back in December 2023. That put me in contact with a lot of stakeholders in the field of women’s and environmental health and afforded me many opportunities to spread awareness about EDCs across a broad range of audiences. I’ve been quietly working on the app with support from the HHS EDC Innovator Award all this time (I won the second phase of that award in October 2024) and will be releasing an app-store version later this year that has some exciting new features. It’s exciting to see how much EDC awareness has grown even in the relatively short time that I’ve been in the field, and the Endocrine Society has had a huge role in that by highlighting research and advocacy efforts like this.

“Receiving a travel grant made it possible for me to attend the Early Career Forum at ENDO 2025, which was a real highlight. It gave me the opportunity to connect with other early-career scientists from around the world, receive valuable feedback on my work, and explore different career paths within endocrinology. The career development workshops were especially useful, and I continue to benefit from the Society’s broader resources and supportive network.” – Hannah M. Hooker, MSc, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom

Hooker: The Endocrine Society has had a meaningful impact on my development as an early-career researcher. Receiving a travel grant made it possible for me to attend the Early Career Forum at ENDO 2025, which was a real highlight. It gave me the opportunity to connect with other early-career scientists from around the world, receive valuable feedback on my work, and explore different career paths within endocrinology. The career development workshops were especially useful, and I continue to benefit from the Society’s broader resources and supportive network.

Machado: The Endocrine Society has played a meaningful role in my research career. By encouraging and giving visibility to scientists from all over the world, including those from underrepresented regions such as Brazil and Latin America, the Society inspires us to remain persistent in our research goals. It creates a truly inclusive scientific environment where early-career professionals feel seen, supported, and motivated. In addition, the Endocrine Society provides access to high-quality scientific content and continuing education resources in endocrinology, which I regularly engage with and find extremely valuable for my professional development.

Safar: Although this was my first direct engagement with the Society at its annual meeting, the impact has already been significant. The opportunity to network and discuss my work with leading scientists and peers was invaluable. These conversations have already prompted me to consider my research from new angles and have opened up exciting possibilities for future collaborations. The Endocrine Society acts as a powerful catalyst; it brings the right people from all over the world together, fosters a genuine spirit of scientific exchange, and creates a platform where a single conversation can spark the next phase of your research. 

EN: What’s next for you and your research? Where do you go from here?

Cannarella: Our next steps involve expanding this research into functional studies. We aim to understand the exact mechanisms by which sperm IGF2 mRNA influences embryo development. Additionally, we’re exploring whether modulating IGF2 mRNA levels in sperm can enhance ART outcomes. Another important direction is to evaluate IGF2 mRNA levels in larger and more diverse patient populations, including those undergoing different ART protocols. Ultimately, we hope to integrate sperm RNA profiling into clinical practice as a diagnostic or prognostic tool for male fertility.

“I’m preparing to transition into a junior faculty position and start my own research lab. I’m excited to build a multi-disciplinary program that explores how EDCs shape behavior and brain function, and to ultimately start looking towards mitigation. There are a lot of avenues to explore and so much more we need to understand in order to effectively inform public health policy and personal interventions. I have a deep passion for this research field; it combines cutting-edge science with advocacy in a very fulfilling way.” – Emily Hilz, PhD, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

Hilz: I plan to continue researching how EDCs influence food choices and obesity risk, with a particular focus on the brain’s reward systems. My next steps include teasing apart the behavioral mechanisms driving these effects; specifically, separating the role of reward and motivation from satiety signaling (either or both could influence eating behavior). The gene expression data from my study also suggested that EDCs may cause epigenetic changes, which raises the possibility that these effects could be heritable even in the absence of continued exposure. So, I’m beginning to test whether altered food choices persist across generations, and am integrating cognitive-attentional tests to get an idea of potential co-morbidities in the phenotype.

Looking ahead, I’m preparing to transition into a junior faculty position and start my own research lab. I’m excited to build a multi-disciplinary program that explores how EDCs shape behavior and brain function, and to ultimately start looking towards mitigation. There are a lot of avenues to explore and so much more we need to understand in order to effectively inform public health policy and personal interventions. I have a deep passion for this research field; it combines cutting-edge science with advocacy in a very fulfilling way.

Hooker: I’m heading into the final year of my PhD, where I’ll be building on this work by integrating multiple omics layers — metabolomics, proteomics, and clinical data — into a multi-marker predictive model for pre-eclampsia. The goal is then to validate this model in a large, real-world patient cohort to understand its potential for clinical use. Looking beyond the PhD, I hope to continue working in pre-eclampsia research, focusing on improving clinical care and outcomes for pregnant women worldwide.

Safar: The immediate plan is to build on our momentum. I intend to investigate our findings further, specifically by incorporating the excellent feedback and novel ideas I gathered during the discussions at ENDO 2025. There are several new experiments we can now design to deepen our understanding in this project. Furthermore, the networking at the ENDOExpo was extremely fruitful. I had promising conversations with several technology and pharmaceutical companies about their innovative research tools and the potential for future partnerships. That by itself widened my understanding in the area and expanded my current network.

“The idea that the spermatozoon might carry not just DNA but a kind of molecular spark — a signal capable of igniting the complex process of embryogenesis — was truly fascinating to me. It reframes the role of the male gamete, suggesting it could actively influence early developmental dynamics in ways we are only beginning to uncover.” – Rossella Cannarella, MD, PhD, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

The next phase of my work will focus on both advancing the fundamental science and exploring these translational opportunities to see how our discoveries can eventually be applied in a clinical context. Finally, I will start the work from today as I can’t wait for ENDO 2026!

Tinano: Next, we plan to dive deeper into the ELSA-Brazil dataset, including prospective data on mortality, to better understand how early or late menarche might influence long-term health outcomes and even lifespan. We’re also committed to sharing these findings not only in high-impact scientific journals but also with the general public — because this knowledge can help women and healthcare providers make more informed decisions about prevention and care. Our goal is to bridge the gap between research and real-life impact, especially for women in underrepresented populations.