16th International Congress on Toxoplasmosis

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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 As in prior meetings, attendees will be encouraged to present unpublished work, and particular attention will be paid to ensuring that early career scientists are highlighted.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Aim 1 will be accomplished through a diverse range of sequential sessions that encourages discus- sion; the sharing of unpublished data across disciplines through talks and poster sessions; networking events; and two pre-meeting workshops.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.