Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Study Group Annual Meeting

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application requests funding for partial support of the 2005-2009 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Study Group (FASSG) meetings. These are held annually as a satellite conference preceding the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) meeting. The study group meeting represents a national annual gathering of basic, social, and clinical scientists whose work focuses on the topic of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The meeting provides a forum for presentation of topics of priority interest to the FASD research community, provides opportunities for discussion of collaborative research, and fosters interactions between established investigators and new investigators, including students. Although the meetings, to date, have been stimulating and well attended, a lack of adequate external financial support has limited attendees to those with adequate grant support to cover their meeting costs, and speakers to "local talent" willing to provide their time at no cost. Clearly, future meetings of the FASSG would greatly benefit with the ability of this group to provide funding to defray meeting costs (especially for travel and accomodations) for promising students and other new investigators who may be unable to attend, otherwise. Additionally, the membership could benefit from presentations by distinguished invited speakers who have interests that overlap with those of the FASSG, but that may be somewhat peripheral to the focus of the group; individuals who would not normally attend the meeting. Publication of a meeting synopsis, as proposed herein, will document the annual proceedings and afford availabilty of the meeting content to the scientific community. This application requests funding for travel, registration fees and partial living expenses for 5 new investigators (including students), and all meeting related expenses plus a modest honorarium for 3 invited speakers each year for a period of five (5) years.