The 18-hour event is the university’s largest student-run philanthropy and generates money for and the

The dynamic event, which included themed hours, karaoke and sports tournaments, kicked off Friday at 6 p.m. and ended at noon Saturday with the heartwarming reveal of the total amount raised. As students on stage flipped signs showing the total of $516,485.76, the crowd of students, patients and supporters erupted in a massive celebration.

The funds raised from the 2024 dance marathon brought the cumulative total over the event’s history to more than $5 million.

Read more about this year’s event.

A $750,000 grant from the American Heart Association will allow researchers to advance AI specifically for acute kidney injury and complications during or following cardiac surgery.

Acute kidney injury can result in increased mortality or persistent kidney dysfunction and, because it has a wide variety of contributing factors from patient-specific conditions to procedure complexity, this issue can be difficult for physicians to predict and prevent.

The project is a joint effort between UofL researchers from the , , the , and researchers at , and .

The team will innovate machine-learning AI models to analyze detailed, clinical patient data and develop a personalized risk prediction and decision-making process for managing kidney injury in heart surgery patients. They then will validate the process using independent databases and clinical trials at UofL Health.

UofL’s Jiapeng Huang, professor and vice chair of the anesthesiology and perioperative medicine department, is principal investigator for the project. As a cardiac anesthesiologist at UofL Health, he also sees numerous patients who deal with acute kidney injury.

“Our goal is to use AI and machine learning methodology to do two things. One, to predict in real time when the patient might develop acute kidney injury or if the patient will be at risk for acute kidney injury,” he said. “The second thing is to develop a clinical decision-support system to help the clinicians do the right thing for the patients at the right time to reduce chance of acute kidney injury after heart surgery.”

While Huang and UofL faculty member Bert Little focus on the clinical procedures and decision-making process, Lihui Bai, professor of industrial engineering at the Speed School, Xiaoyu Chen, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at SUNY Buffalo and George (Guanghui) Lan, professor of industrial and systems engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, will work with a team of engineers to build the AI technology. The tech will allow physicians to use patients’ clinical information before, during and after surgery to inform physicians of the best sequence of treatment for patients to reduce the chance of kidney injury after heart surgery.

For the last 10 years, AI has been used in the medical field to analyze large health care data. AI can more easily recognize patterns than the human eye or brain, according to Huang, and can be a significant benefit to patient outcomes.

“This is one of those research (projects) that will benefit patients directly,” he said “Acute kidney injury happens in about 25% of patients after cardiac surgery. This study aims to protect patients from acute kidney injury after heart surgery.”

The three-year project, which is currently in phase 1, began in July 2023. During this early phase, the team is establishing the database and prediction model. In year three, clinical trials conducted at UofL Health will be used to determine whether the predictive modeling and clinical decision support system will reduce the rate of acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery.

UofL Health is an excellent partner for this project as it is one of the premier cardiac programs in the nation, according to Huang. It was responsible for the first heart transplant in the state of Kentucky, as well as many innovations in artificial heart pumps. UofL Health cardiovascular surgeon Siddharth Pahwa and cardiologist Dinesh Kalra, for example, are involved in other studies, including cardiac imaging and data collection in addition to patient care.

“UofL Health always focuses on improving patient safety and outcomes,” Huang said. “UofL faculty and researchers are perfect partners to perform clinical studies to advance our knowledge and benefit our patients at UofL Health.”

Tinker, who earned her degree in nursing, is from San Diego, California. Originally from China, she was adopted by an American family as a child. “A big part of my story is being adopted from China,” she said. “So coming from that and being an orphan to being commencement speaker at an amazing university is something I’m very proud of and grateful for.”

She found her college home at UofL after discovering a new career path during the pandemic. At UofL, Tinker became involved in several groups, including serving as president of the Student Nursing Council. Her involvement helped her grow as a leader and set her up for success after graduation.

UofL News had the opportunity to speak with Tinker ahead of graduation to find out more about her experience at UofL and her plans moving forward.

UofL News: Why did you choose UofL?

Tinker: I chose UofL because I wanted an out-of-state school with both great academics and school spirit. I wanted research opportunities and a strong health care environment, but also a tailgate scene and things like that.

��UofL News: Why did you decide to on nursing as your career path?

Tinker:��I went to school in D.C. until COVID hit. I had interned for the House of Representatives and I was really into the Capitol Hill vibe. (But) I switched over to nursing. I was inspired by seeing what the nurses did during the pandemic. I just kind of made a big decision to change my path to nursing.

UofL News: How has the School of Nursing at UofL helped you?

Tinker:��The School of Nursing is very, very special. I have a lot of friends in other majors and we’ll chit-chat about the relationships they have with faculty and … the faculty of the School of Nursing is by far the most supportive. They take an interest in their students individually. Just the mindset, there is always growth, so I feel like everyone’s always trying to make the School of Nursing the best that it can be.

UofL News: What professor had the greatest impact on you?

Tinker:��I would say Imelda Wright. She was my first medical surgical nurse and she’s just an angel on Earth. She always comes to class in really cool high heels and just is the epitome of a strong woman role model. The other one would be Paul Clark, he is just the most supportive, positive professor. He focuses on mental health in a way that I feel like most professors just don’t. Love them both.

UofL News: What was your most memorable moment at UofL?

Tinker:��I would probably say rushing the field at the Notre Dame football game. We were right there at the front and my friends and I stormed the field and I got elbowed in the eye really hard. My contact popped out … I was running with one eye closed and it was just really fun.

UofL News: What are your plans after graduation? What type of nurse are you aspiring to become?

Tinker:��I have accepted a job in the UofL Hospital Emergency Department, a Level 1 trauma center.

UofL News: How has UofL helped you grow?

Tinker:��UofL has helped me grow through tough classes, clinical experiences, involvement like SGA, opportunities like the Research Scholars Program, leadership roles like being president of Nursing Student Council, etc. I filled my schedule to the max because of so many opportunities from classes to extracurriculars; I’ve grown from being pushed to my limits – usually in a good way! I’ve learned what I’m capable of.��

The inaugural (Business, Equity, Arts, Technology, and Sciences) seeks to remove barriers to and strengthen Louisville’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by connecting entrepreneurs within the city and university with research opportunities, resources and community connections. Presented by , the and , BEATS Week will kick off festivities Sept. 18th.

UofL News had the opportunity to catch up with Alexandra Howard, a business research and teaching librarian at Ekstrom Library and member of the.

UofL News: Can you tell us more about BEATS Week?

Howard: BEATS Week is a week-long event series to promote entrepreneurship among our Louisville community. Our goal is really to break down silos and remove barriers that exist, especially for underrepresented entrepreneurs such as college students and minority business owners. will provide access to research, resources and a community that will help cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset for people from every background.

There are so many different campus and community organizations and resources for entrepreneurs and we really want BEATS Week to�� bring everyone together in one place. I think one of the most exciting things about BEATS Week is our diverse team that has helped develop it and put it together. We have a steering committee of different partners across campus, including the College of Business, Office of Student Involvement, Louisville Athletics, Office of Community Engagement, Office of Research and Innovation, Health Equity Innovation Hub and the Engage Lead Serve Board. This has really allowed us to make this a truly collaborative event.

UofL News: Why is BEATS Week important for the university and for college students?

Howard: BEATS Week is important to the university because the landscape of higher education is changing … so we have to be innovative and offer education and programming that is relevant and appealing. Studies have shown that high school and college students are increasingly interested in entrepreneurship. A 2022 survey showed that 60% of college students are interested in owning their own business. BEATS Week offers UofL a chance to help develop student entrepreneurs across academic disciplines. It offers college students the chance to develop their entrepreneurship knowledge and skillset, even if they aren’t studying business.

UofL is also an anchor institution that really emphasizes . BEATS Week is an opportunity for us to engage the greater Louisville community and provide programming and resources to entrepreneurs who own businesses down the street. The city of Louisville has some incredibly talented, creative and diverse entrepreneurs but the makeup of our city’s business landscape doesn’t totally reflect this. Minority business owners own less than 10% of the city’s local businesses. African Americans make up almost a quarter of Louisville’s population but own just 2.4% of local businesses. With BEATS Week, we want to make sure everyone sees themselves reflected in entrepreneurship and that everyone gets equal access to resources that will help them succeed.

UofL News: What is Jack Harlow’s involvement?

Howard:��Because of Jack Harlow’s experience as a world-famous rapper, an actor, a businessman with Phocus and brand deals with KFC and New Balance, we immediately thought of him in planning BEATS Week. We pitched BEATS Week to his manager and while Jack Harlow won’t be speaking at any event this year, we were able to connect with The Jack Harlow Foundation who signed on as our primary BEATS Week sponsor. The Jack Harlow Foundation is committed to reinvesting, uplifting and supporting organizations in Louisville that will make the city a better place. The racial wealth gap is alive and well throughout our nation and in our city. Entrepreneurship is an important approach to building generational wealth and closing that gap. We are grateful for Jack Harlow seeing the importance of BEATS Week and sponsoring our events. We will be giving away raffle prizes throughout the week, so any time someone attends a BEATS Week event, they increase their chances of winning a prize. We may have something special from Jack Harlow to give away at our final BEATS Week event on Friday.����

UofL News: What useful resources does the library have to offer for BEATS Week?

Howard:��The library has so many resources to support business development and aspiring entrepreneurs. As the business and entrepreneurship librarian, I primarily support research happening within the College of Business, but I also meet with entrepreneurs on campus and in the community to help them do research to support the development and growth of their business. We have access to very expensive business research databases that anyone in the community can access for free through our library. That’s actually how BEATS Week got started. I was introduced to the founder and CEO of Black Complex, Aaron Jordan, by another community partner and we began to meet in the library to do research for his business.

I really believe that the library is the hub of community and connection at the university. We work with students, faculty, and staff from every department across campus as well as high school students and members of our local community.

UofL News: Can you dive deeper into some of the planned?

Howard:��There will be education events on branding, storytelling and content creation. There will be free food at every event from local minority-owned businesses such as Blak Koffee, The Black Italian and FOKO. Our opening event will be with the cultural center. We will have the tap in event, an entrepreneur resource fair where there will be an opportunity for students to get professional headshots, sit down one on one with business coaches to review resumes and LinkedIn or discuss any other business ideas.

Katie Hayden – Student Body President

Senior Katie Hayden is one of the familiar faces on this team. Last year, Hayden served as the executive vice president, running alongside former SGA president Dorian Brown. The McConnell Scholar will now operate as the president.

With experience under her belt, Hayden looks to combine her goals with her vice presidents’ goals.

“We are in a unique situation where two different slates seat the president and vice president of SGA,” she said. But being from different sides, Hayden believes, is a good opportunity to combine ideas and build together. “When you run in a SGA election you kind of realize that most candidates have similar ideas, just different ways of achieving them,” she said.��

Improving communication with the student body is a vision of Hayden’s. She plans to implement a sign up where students can receive text updates on current SGA news.

“How can we best get everybody in the know? How can we help students understand who SGA is? When you look at it, the big picture, your student government does make a lot of decisions that can drastically affect the student body,” she said. ��

After graduating, Hayden plans to attend dental school at UofL with aspirations of becoming an orthodontist.

Angel Okorie – Executive Vice President

Senior Angel Okorie, is a newcomer to the leadership slate. Majoring in health and human performance, she is also part of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority on campus.

As the 2023–2024 term kicks off, Okorie’s main goal is to make diversity, equity and inclusion a priority for the Student Government Association. She aims to build close partnerships with the equity center and other departments on campus.

Okorie, who also is a Porter Scholar and an Honors Scholar, praises the people she has met while being at UofL.

“I’m pretty involved on campus and feel like I have found a good amount of people that I can fall back on,” she said.

As the school year kicks off, she is excited to advocate for other students and to make a difference while serving her time for SGA.

Alex Reynolds – Student Body Services Vice President

Senior Alex Reynolds is a political science major from Northern Kentucky. Reynolds is now in his second term in the vice president position.

One of Reynold’s main goals is continuing to improve on student services. Carrying from last year, are his plans to improve the Cardinal Cruiser transportation services.

“We’re making some real headway this summer,” he said. “I want to make it more like an Uber, Lyft-type service.” Reynolds has reached an agreement with the university to create an app for the service and he hopes it will be deployed by spring 2024.

Reynolds, who is an advocate for free speech, says it’s important for students to get involved with SGA.��

��“Not only does SGA provide these amazing opportunities for leadership and amazing connections, it also helps actually make a difference,” he said. “The university administration has done a really good job of including students within SGA and working with us to craft university policy and services.”

“Once I toured and met all the people, I knew this was the right fit,” he said. “They thought of me as more than just another number, they actually cared about the success and opportunities that I get here.”

Sawyer Depp – Student Body Academic Vice President

Senior Sawyer Depp is a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and is also a part of the McConnell Scholar program. He is majoring in political science and history.

Depp, who is a northern Kentucky native, chose to come to UofL because it felt like home to him.

“I met with several people and from my conversations, I felt like this was an environment where I thought I could learn and grow into the best person I could be,” he said.

Depp believes getting students involved in SGA is important for the small things as well as the big changes.

“Being able to see change on a university level or even at an individual level — just seeing change at all — is really what I think the biggest draw to SGA is,” he said.

Upon graduation, he has aspirations to attend law school with plans to one day perhaps become a judge.

Sheffield, a junior studying equine business administration, is a seasonal event coordinator at Churchill Downs, where she plans and orchestrates corporate and personal events. This is no easy task given all the moving parts and details to manage. She also is a for the Keeneland Association, where she is learning the behind-the-scenes operations of the horse industry. To build on her experience, Sheffield plans to work with the this upcoming summer in Washington, D.C. Her passion for horses and connections in the industry is leading her to follow a career path in the field.

Versocki is from the small town of Saratoga, New York. The UofL sophomore plans to double major in equine business administration and marketing.

“The Equine Industry Program at UofL is the best in the country,” said Versocki, whose love for horses started at a young age.

Fueled by her passion for the horse industry and with the help of the UofL’s equine program, Versocki landed the Churchill Downs internship as a luxury concierge. She assists with numerous social occasions, many of which deal with high profile celebrities including horse owner Tom Pletcher who has three horses racing in this year’s Kentucky Derby.

Both College of Business students credit UofL’s Equine Industry Program for giving them opportunities to succeed in the field they love. In addition to their work at Churchill Downs, they’ve received opportunities to participate in other internships, as well. They also acknowledge the mentorship of K. Amy Lawyer, director of the Equine Industry Program.

“She’s one of my favorite people – I can turn to her for anything,” Sheffield said.

Sheffield says she plans to pick Tapit Trice to win the 2023 Kentucky Derby, and Versocki is betting on Forte. Win or lose, their Churchill Downs experience has proved to be a sure bet.

The University of Louisville chapter of����(PKP), one of the oldest honor societies on campus, is recruiting new members from across all schools and disciplines. It has almost 350 active members from the top 10% of seniors, graduate and professional students and in November was given the 2022-2023 Circle of Excellence Chapter Award from national PKP.