Progress 05/15/06 to 05/14/07
Outputs
The conference had 157 participants, which exceeded the limit of 150 imposed by the Gordon Research Conferences (GRC). Due to the overwhelming response to the conference announcement, the GRC allowed attendance to exceed their normal limit. Most attendees (67 percent) were from the US, with other attendees representing countries from around the world. Scientists representing academic, government, and corporate entities attended the conference. This conference maintained an emphasis on promoting younger investigators and 36 percent of all attendees were either students or Postdoctoral fellows, and a similar percent of speakers or discussion leaders were at the postdoctoral or junior faculty level. Gender diversity at the conference was good with women comprising 37 percent of attendees and 25 percent of invited speakers and discussion leaders. Under-represented minorities were encouraged to attend, and one attendee was the recipient of the Carl Storm Under-Represented
Minorities Fellowship, providing financial assistance to defray expenses. There were eight formal oral presentation sessions, and one less formal oral late-breaking session. The formal presentation sessions covered aspects of spirochete biology that affect host-pathogen interactions, bacterial invasion, host immune response, genomic and genetic analyses, and spirochete diversity. There were eight speakers for the late-breaking session, selected from the abstract submissions for poster presentations. Ninety-six posters were presented and there was sufficient space that these were on display throughout the conference, providing many opportunities for discussion. Scientific presentations encompassed several spirochete genera including Borrelia, Brachyspira, Leptospira, and Treponema. Of particular importance to animal agriculture were presentations on Leptospira, the causative agent of leptospirosis, Brachyspira, which causes swine dysentery and intestinal spirochetosis, and Treponema,
which is associated with digital dermatitis. In addition, two speakers from outside the boundaries of spirochete biology, Dr. Magnus Hook and Dr. Lalita Ramakrishnan, were invited to discuss their recent research in the areas of microbial pathogen adhesion and interactions of pathogens with host macrophages. A goal of including these speakers in the conference was to expand the interaction of attendees with a broader group of scientists and encourage cross-fertilization of ideas to advance this field of study. Ninety percent of attendees completed evaluations of the conference and gave high marks for the science presentations, noting that many presentations were at the forefront of science. Areas noted for improvement were discussion sections to help explore new research directions and to improve the interaction between established investigators with students and post-doctoral fellows. Attendees appreciated the management and organization of the meeting and gave exceptionally high
marks for the atmosphere of the conference, an aspect seen as essential for developing research collaborations. Most attendees agreed with the statement "This was the best Conference in the field I attended this year".
Impacts
The Biology of Spirochetes Conference has helped build a sense of community among spirochete researchers. Changes introduced in the 2006 program and the selection of attendees and speakers resulted in a broad diversity of attendees, helping to bring fresh new ideas to the conference. New collaborations forged over the past 12 years, through attendance at this conference, have resulting in rapid change and advancement within this research field. Additional collaborations are likely to emerge from the 2006 conference.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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