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Principal Investigator: Emma H Wilson
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
Fiscal Year: 2022
Award: $8,000
Funding agency: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
PROJECT SUMMARY: The organizers of the 16th International Congress on Toxoplasmosis and Toxoplasma
gondii Research request support for this meeting, which will occur in May 2022, after a 1 year pandemic-re-
lated delay. Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous, protozoan parasite that is transmitted through contaminated
food and water. Subclinical toxoplasmosis infects up to 1/3 of the world’s population. In the
immunosuppressed, the parasite can be fatal and causes encephalitis and blindness. This biennial meeting
brings together clinicians and principal investigators, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows from labora-
tories engaged in Toxoplasma research worldwide. The main program will consist of non-concurrent short
talks, selected from submitted abstracts and organized thematically with evening poster sessions. The strength
of this meeting is that it brings together researchers from different disciplines who rarely attend the same meet-
ings. These groups include parasite cell and molecular biologists, immunologists, clinical investigators, industry
researchers, and representatives of governmental regulatory and public health agencies. The breadth of these
topics will be covered by the following five categories: Parasite Cell Biology; Epidemiology, Clinical, and Envi-
ronmental Science; Immunology; Host-Parasite Interactions; and Genomics and Population Biology. As in prior
meetings, attendees will be encouraged to present unpublished work, and particular attention will be paid to
ensuring that early career scientists are highlighted. The aims of this meeting are to: disseminate pioneering
research and technology to the field to increase cross-disciplinary collaborations (Aim 1) and support the ca-
reers of trainees and junior investigators in STEM, including those from historically marginalized communities
(Aim 2). Aim 1 will be accomplished through a diverse range of sequential sessions that encourages discus-
sion; the sharing of unpublished data across disciplines through talks and poster sessions; networking events;
and two pre-meeting workshops. In addition, to disseminate the scientific content to those who could not attend
the meeting, mSphere will publish a summary of meeting highlights, and talks will be posted online. Aim 2 will
be accomplished by selecting talks from submitted abstracts which encompass all scientific levels (graduate
students, postdoctoral fellows, PIs); increasing the visibility of Junior PIs through their selection as session
chairs; a Career Development Workshop for trainees that will highlight the vast array of career options availa-
ble to those with advanced scientific training; and, for the first time at this conference, an Outreach Event for
AP Biology High School students from a local school district with a high percentage of minoritized students.
The funds requested in this grant will 1) facilitate travel and registration for new investigators from geo-
graphically underrepresented regions, 2) subsidize travel for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (~30%
of meeting attendees), and 3) support childcare/dependents grants; all of which are critical to maximize our
ability to diversify our attendees and make our conference fully inclusive.
Terms: <AIDS><Acquired Immune Deficiency><Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome><Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome><Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome><Acquired Immunologic Deficiency Syndrome><Area><Asian><Atmosphere><Attention><Australia><Basic Research><Basic Science><Biology><Biotech><Biotechnology><Blindness><Brain Inflammation><Categories><Cell Body><Cells><Cellular biology><Cessation of life><Clinical><Clinical Investigator><Clinical Sciences><Collaborations><Congresses><Country><Data><Data Bases><Databases><Death><Discipline><Disease><Disorder><Educational process of instructing><Educational workshop><Encephalitis><Ensure><Environmental Science><Epidemiology><Europe><Event><Food Contamination><Funding><Genomics><Geography><Goals><Government><Grant><High School Student><Human><Immune response><Immunocompromised><Immunocompromised Host><Immunocompromised Patient><Immunological response><Immunologist><Immunology><Immunosuppressed Host><Immunosuppression><Immunosuppression Effect><Immunosuppressive Effect><Industry><Institution><International><Investigators><Laboratories><Modern Man><Molecular><Myocarditis><NIH><National Institutes of Health><Opportunistic Infections><Oral><Parasites><Parasitic infection><Participant><Patient outcome><Patient-Centered Outcomes><Patient-Focused Outcomes><Patients><Persons><Physicians><Population><Population Biology><Postdoc><Postdoctoral Fellow><Principal Investigator><Proteomics><Public Health><Publishing><Research><Research Associate><Research Personnel><Researchers><Rest><Schedule><Science><Scientific Advances and Accomplishments><Scientist><Secondary School Student><Secondary Student><South America><Structure><Students><Survey Instrument><Surveys><T gondii><T gondii infection><T. gondii><T. gondii infection><Teaching><Technology><Time><Toxoplasma><Toxoplasma gondii><Toxoplasma gondii Infection><Toxoplasmosis><Training><Travel><United States National Institutes of Health><Universities><Water contamination><Workshop><Writing><anti-retroviral therapy><anti-retroviral treatment><antiretroviral therapy><antiretroviral treatment><assess effectiveness><cardiac inflammation><career><career development><cell biology><classroom environment><college><college atmosphere><collegial atmosphere><collegiate><collegiate atmosphere><community marginalization><conference><contaminated food><contaminated water><convention><data base><determine effectiveness><develop a vaccine><develop vaccines><development of a vaccine><drug development><education atmosphere><educational atmosphere><educational environment><effectiveness assessment><effectiveness evaluation><epidemiologic><epidemiological><evaluate effectiveness><experience><graduate student><host response><immune suppression><immune suppressive activity><immune suppressive function><immune system response><immunoresponse><immunosuppressed><immunosuppressed patient><immunosuppressive activity><immunosuppressive function><improved outcome><informatics tool><intellectual atmosphere><learning atmosphere><learning environment><marginalized community><meeting reports><meetings><metabolism measurement><metabolomics><metabonomics><next generation><outreach><pandemic><pandemic disease><parasite infection><post-doc><post-doctoral><posters><programs><school atmosphere><school climate><school district><scientific accomplishments><scientific advances><summit><symposia><symposium><toxoplasma encephalitis><toxoplasmic encephalitis><training atmosphere><university atmosphere><unpublished works><vaccine development><vision loss><visual loss>