2020 Virtual Program

“Host-Microbial Interactions in Health and Disease: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

Check back as the program of confirmed speakers grows and for specific dates and times of presentations.

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Confirmed Speakers:

  • Innate Control of Adaptive Immunity During Adulthood and Infancy, Beatriz Leon Ruiz, University of Alabama, Birmingham
  • Uninvited Guests in Undisclosed Locations: Microbes and Their Metabolites in the Cystic Fibrosis Airways, Katrine Whiteson, University of California, Irvine
  • The Emerging Role of Glyco-Checkpoints in Cancer, Autoimmunity and Infection: The Sweet Side of Immunotherapy, Gabriel Rabinovich, Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine
  • The Virtues of Simplicity: Vaginal Microbiome, Host Inflammation and Reproductive Outcomes, Doug Kwon, Harvard
  • Applying Functional Genomics to Reveal New Paradigms in Innate Immunity, Sara Cherry, University of Pennsylvania
  • Mechanisms of Varicella Zoster Virus Dissemination and Pathogenesis, Ilhem Messaoudi, University of California, Irvine
  • Colonic Macrophages Dynamically Orchestrate Intestinal Immunity Against Bacterial Pathogens, Xiaoyu Hu, Tsinghua University
  • Trending Topic: Coronavirus, Tanya Miura, University of Idaho
  • Endogenous Oxidized Phospholipids Reprogram Cellular Metabolism and Boost Hyperinflammation, Ivan Zanoni, Harvard Medical School (June 18th 11am eastern)

Workshops:

Saturday, October 3, 2020, 12:30 - 2:30pm eastern
Professional Development Workshop – Beyond Academia: Career Paths and Options
Organized by the SLB Professional Development Committee 
The academic research environment is not always the preferred career path for students and trainees. However, it is often difficult for individuals considering careers outside of academia to find appropriate advice, guidance, and mentorship. Identifying potential job opportunities and understanding the skill sets necessary to move into these careers are often a challenge. The Professional Development Committee will be hosting a virtual workshop to address some of these challenges. The workshop is entitled “Beyond Academia: Career Paths and Options”. This two-hour session will include presentations and virtual panel discussions with representatives from multiple career paths representing a diverse range of possibilities for well-trained scientists. Panelists will include career representatives with experience in intellectual property, entrepreneurship, science liaison, publishing, and political affairs. Be prepared to expand your horizons about career opportunities beyond academia. While this workshop is targeted towards trainees, all are welcome.

Dates and times TBA

SLB School – “Symposium for Career Development and Hands-On Opportunity to Learn” is an instructional workshop geared towards trainees with programming in: History of Host-Pathogen Interactions; Panoramic View of the Microbiome and Its History; Bioinformatics; Sequencing Techniques, Flow Cytometry 2.0, How to prepare for a “Chalk Talk”; and networking round table discussions. Full program coming soon.

SLB Think Tank: Building Bridges for Undergraduate Immunology Research - Presentations and discussion of strategies, advice, and ideas for connecting institutions large and small to engage more undergraduates in immunology research.

MTTG (Members in Transition and Training) Workshop: Science Illustrations: Telling Your Story Through Images
Organized by the SLB Members in Transition and Training Group.
This year, MTTG is providing trainees a platform to improve their skills on communicating science through illustrations. Patricia Ferrer Beals, from the University of Michigan, is scheduled as the speaker of the session. Patricia is a professional scientific illustrator who has been practicing for almost two decades. The workshop will provide the trainees a virtual learning opportunity of how to prepare scientific figures for manuscripts or graphical abstracts using illustration software. Patricia will teach the trainees some useful tips and tricks of the software program. In addition, she will share her insights on the journey to become a professional illustrator which will be useful for the trainees interested in exploring alternative careers in Science. We highly encourage trainees and anyone with a creative scientific flare to join!

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Mentoring: Challenges and Opportunities
Organized by the SLB Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Panel speakers providing their broad range of expertise and perspectives for this event include Dr. Amanda Brown (Johns Hopkins University), Dr. Xiaoyu Hu (Tsinghua University), and Dr. Carlos Henrique Serezani (Vanderbilt University). Evidence strongly supports that improving diversity and inclusion promotes creativity and innovation in STEM. Increased representation of minoritized populations is important at every stage of the STEM pipeline. Whether a role model, or someone actively seeking to improve the environment to remove barriers to success, mentors can play a key role in retaining and advancing a diverse STEM workforce. Recognizing or acknowledging our differences can be a first step in promoting an inclusive and welcoming environment. We hope you will join us to hear the panel speakers address their personal experiences with diversity, equity, and inclusion issues, particularly as they pertain to mentor-mentee interactions/relationships. We will discuss ideas for dealing with challenges such as breaking stereotypes, unconscious assumptions, microaggressions, and imposter syndrome. Importantly, we also aim to highlight benefits and strategies for promoting diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments. Attendees will be encouraged to join virtual breakout groups to reflect on these discussions with facilitators ready to address specific topics of interest. We welcome individuals from all genders, nationalities, ethnicities, ages, abilities, and sexual orientations and look forward to a productive and collaborative discussion. As a preview, read the wonderful article in Nature Immunology by Dr. Hu