UNC-South China STD Research Training Conference

描述（由申请人提供）：亚洲每年估计有1.51亿可治愈的性传播疾病，但许多亚洲地区开展重大研究或培训的能力有限。大多数主要的性病会议都在高收入地区举行，而且不成比例地侧重于高收入国家开展的研究。这个多学科的性病会议将在华南（广州）举办，这是一个以梅毒流行和性病发病率上升为特征的地区。在北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校1979年中国项目的基础上，加上中国强大的会议组织能力，我们的会议将有助于培养亚洲下一代性病研究人员。2012年6月会议的第一天将有200名与会者，接下来的9天将重点关注30-40名初级性病研究人员，他们将根据研究背景和对性病研究的承诺来选择。会议主题包括微生物和病毒的发病机制、临床研究、流行病学和社会科学。会议计划将由国际公认的指导委员会完善。我们的会议目标包括：1)提供全球最重要的性病研究概况（包括HPV， HCV）；2)指导初级研究者的研究方法，从伦理到实施再到建模；3)加强全球卫生合作，以维持在亚洲的长期培训和研究项目。本次会议将向与会者在线发布所有课程材料，制定维持会议的战略计划，并培养新的合作研究团队。每个被选中的初级研究员将与当地和北卡罗来纳大学的导师相匹配，以促进个性化的研究培训和职业发展。初级调查人员将展示海报，但大多数会谈将是口头报告和鼓励小组讨论。本次会议的主要支持将来自广东省性病控制中心和北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校。

Description (as provided by the applicant): Asia has an estimated 151 million curable sexually transmitted diseases each year, yet there is limited capacity in many Asian regions to undertake major research or training. Most major STD conferences are held in high-income regions and disproportionately focus on research undertaken in high-income nations. This multi-disciplinary STD conference will be hosted in South China (Guangzhou), a region characterized by a resurgent syphilis epidemic and increasing STD incidence. Building on the foundation of UNC Chapel Hill-China programs going back to 1979 in addition to strong Chinese capacity for conference organizing, our conference will help nurture the next generation of STD research investigators in Asia. The initial day of the June 2012 meeting will have 200 participants followed by nine days focused on 30-40 junior STD investigators who will be chosen based on research background and commitment to STD research. Conference topics include microbial and viral pathogenesis, clinical research, epidemiology, and social science. The conference program will be refined by an internationally recognized steering committee. Our aims for the conference include: 1) Provide a general overview of the most important STD research globally (including HPV, HCV); 2) Instruct junior investigators about research methods, ranging from ethics to implementation to modeling; 3) Enhance global health collaboration in order to sustain long-term training and research programs in Asia. This conference will disseminate all course materials online for participants, generate a strategic plan for sustaining the conference, and foster new collaborative research teams. Each selected junior investigator will be matched with a local and a UNC mentor to facilitate individualized research training and career development. Junior investigators will present posters, but most talks will be oral presentations and encourage small group discussion. The majority of support for this conference will come from the Guangdong Provincial STD Control Center and UNC Chapel Hill. Public Health Relevance: This joint UNC-South China STD research training conference will enhance local research capacity focused on global STD research, help junior investigators identify local and UNC mentors, and facilitate a South China network of STD researchers.