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The goal of the meeting is to assemble a scientific program of sufficient quality to attract the many outstanding principal investigators along with their trainees (post-doctoral fellows and students) in the Mid Atlantic region. <P>The primary goal of this meeting is to provide students and young investigators with a forum to meet and discuss their work. Many of the anticipated participants direct NIH-sponsored research programs studying the pathogenesis of bacterial diseases. It is our intention to foster collaborations between laboratories in the region and stimulate new ideas for scientific research. <P>The participation of principal investigators (including the visiting speakers, who are recognized leaders in the microbial pathogenesis field) in the meeting will ensure the presence of an expert audience for the presentations given by the students and postdoctoral fellows.<P> Presenting and discussing their work with such a knowledgeable and focused audience in a small meeting format will be a valuable experience for these young scientists, and is intended to enhance their career development.
Non-Technical Summary: The Mid-Atlantic Region, comprised of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, The District of Columbia, Delaware, and New Jersey, is home to a large number of outstanding research groups that are engaged in the study of all aspects of microbial pathogenesis. These include researchers in academic, government and industrial laboratories. The purpose of the Mid-Atlantic Microbial Pathogenesis Meeting is to foster communication and collaboration between scientists engaged in microbial pathogenesis research in the Mid-Atlantic region. A critical aspect of this meeting is to provide an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to present their work to a knowledgeable audience, focused in their discipline, in a relaxed and collegial environment. A considerable number of USDA-funded investigators studying the virulence mechanisms of bacterial pathogens of veterinary importance or important to food safety are located in this geographic region. The Mid-Atlantic Microbial Pathogenesis Meeting has great applicability to the area of food safety. During the first three years, we have had presentations on all of the important food-borne bacterial pathogens, including Salmonella, Listeria, shiga toxin-producing E. coli, and Yersinia. In addition to the basic biology of these pathogens, information describing advanced molecular diagnostic methods and outbreak studies have been presented. It is therefore justified that we seek partial support for this meeting through the Food Safety National Research Initiative. <P> Approach: The Mid-Atlantic Region, comprised of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, The District of Columbia, Delaware, and New Jersey, is home to a large number of outstanding research groups that are engaged in the study of all aspects of microbial pathogenesis. These include researchers in academic, government and industrial laboratories. The purpose of the Mid-Atlantic Microbial Pathogenesis Meeting is to foster communication and collaboration between scientists engaged in microbial pathogenesis research in the Mid-Atlantic region. An important aspect of this meeting is to provide an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to present their work to a knowledgeable audience, focused in their discipline, in a relaxed and collegial environment. A considerable number of NIH-funded investigators studying the virulence mechanisms of microbial pathogens are located in this geographic region, and it is anticipated that many of these individuals and their research groups will actively participate in this meeting. It is therefore justified that we seek partial support for this meeting through NIAID. While we consider this to be a regional meeting, we will certainly accept registrants from individuals outside the Mid-Atlantic region. In addition, the plenary speakers (below) will be recruited from outside this geographical region. The 2007 meeting will be held at the Wintergreen Resort and Conference Center in Wintergreen, Virginia. Wintergreen Resort is located approximately 33 miles from Charlottesville, and was selected because it is centrally located within the target region. The most outlying institutions within the region are located 300 miles from Wintergreen, with the majority of the institutions being much closer (<200 miles). This central location makes driving an attractive option for the participants, which we hope will further encourage participation by students. The outstanding conference facilities at the Wintergreen resort and their professional and experienced staff will certainly contribute to the success of the meeting. The conference center has 40,000 square feet of meeting space, accommodating groups up to 800, with 18 meeting rooms with flexible configurations. The rooms are fully equipped with wireless Internet access and state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and support. Our experience with the Wintergreen resort over the last three years has been excellent. They have provided facilities for a high-quality meeting, and surveys of meeting participants have praised the location and amenities The Mid-Atlantic Microbial Pathogenesis Meeting will focus primarily on bacterial pathogenesis although one plenary speaker will provide a eukaryotic perspective (e.g. fungal or protozoa pathogen). In addition, the interactions of investigators that take place during the Mid-Atlantic Microbial Pathogenesis Meeting will provide these individuals with new perspectives and ideas on their work and likely result in new opportunities for fruitful collaborations. This mingling of investigators working with a wide variety of pathogens is a major aspect of the Mid-Atlantic Microbial Pathogenesis Meeting.