Committee-Sponsored Sessions

1. Back to School: A Review of Four Fast-Moving Fields

Sponsored by the AAI Program Committee

Chairs

• Cathryn R. Nagler, Univ. of Chicago, AAI Program Committee Chair
• Chandrashekhar Pasare, Cincinnati Children’s Hosp. Med. Ctr.

Speakers

• Judith A. James, Oklahoma Med. Res. Fndn., Cross-reactive B cells
• Chandrashekhar Pasare, Cincinnati Children’s Hosp. Med. Ctr., Mechanisms of microbial and non-microbial (sterile) innate inflammation
• Timothy E. O’Sullivan, Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CRISPR-Cas9 tools and technology in immunity
• Golnaz Vahedi, Univ. of Pennsylvania Perelman Sch. of Med., Advances in single-cell analysis

27. Human Immunological Diseases and Pathologies: Current Standard of Care, Mechanisms of Action, and Unmet Needs

Sponsored by the AAI Clinical Immunology Committee

Chairs

• Erica L. Stone, GigaGen, AAI Clinical Immunology Committee Chair
• Thomas A. Wynn, Pfizer

Speakers

• Joanne L. Viney, Seismic Therapeut., New therapeutic approaches for dysregulated adaptive immunity
• John C. Cambier, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Sch. of Med., Exploiting inverse agonism for therapy in autoimmunity: immune cell silencing without death
• Kristie M. Grebe, Anokion, Harnessing natural tolerance pathways in the liver to treat autoimmune diseases: evidence from KAN-101 for the treatment of celiac disease
• David M. Berman, ImmunoCore, TCR bispecific protein therapeutics to treat autoimmunity

This session will include talks on a variety of immune-driven disease states and describe disease pathogenesis, current treatments, and their shortfalls, where potential areas of improvement may be in new treatments, and next therapies on the horizon. Linking the bench to the clinic will be emphasized.

28. My Lab is Recruiting Postdocs: Policy Approaches to Address the Needs of Today’s Biomedical Research Workforce

Sponsored by the AAI Committee on Public Affairs

Chairs

• Peter E. Jensen, Univ. of Utah, AAI Committee on Public Affairs Chair
• Tullia C. Bruno, Univ. of Pittsburgh

Speakers

• Ericka Boone, Director, Div. of Biomed. Res. Workforce, NIH, Panelist
• Greg M. Delgoffe, Univ. of Pittsburgh, Panelist

In recent years, principal investigators have expressed increasing concern about the difficulty of recruiting and retaining postdoctoral researchers, particularly in academia. While the problem is multifactorial, challenges include inadequate compensation/benefits, lack of affordable housing, difficulties achieving work-life balance, and insufficient support for training and mental health. The availability of postdocs has been further reduced by the COVID-19 pandemic and related disruptions, which have sharply decreased the number of international graduate students studying in the United States, resulting in a smaller potential postdoc pool. These challenges, combined with the lack of certainty in achieving “success” when pursuing a career in academia, often lead graduate students to pursue non-academic jobs in industry or elsewhere. With half of U.S. postdocs financially supported by federal agencies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has established a Working Group to evaluate whether there is statistical evidence of this perceived postdoc shortage, assess the factors that may be causing it, and develop recommendations to facilitate recruitment and retention.

This session will feature a distinguished panel of speakers who will discuss the current state of the postdoc workforce, the reasons for a dearth of candidates applying for postdoc positions, and potential policy approaches to alleviate the strain on the biomedical research workforce. The formal presentations will be followed by an open mic period during which all members of the audience, in particular trainees, will be invited to ask questions and/or speak about their experiences.

36. Immunology Teaching Interest Group: Enhancing Your Immunology Teaching

Sponsored by the AAI Education Committee

Chairs

• Sumali Pandey, Minnesota State Univ., Moorhead
• Damian L. Turner, Williams Col.

Speakers

• Viviane Boaventura, Oswaldo Cruz Fndn., Fed. Univ. of Bahia, Brazil, ImmunoAlvo board game for dynamic teaching of immunology
• William H. Carr, Medgar Evers Col., CUNY, Easing the pain of group work with an ice-breaker activity: "a case in point: from active learning to the job market"
• Nadeem Fazal, Chicago State Univ. Col. of Phrm., A case for teaching basic immunology through scientific journalism: lesson taught by a coronavirus went viral!
• Lindsey D. Hughes, Yale Sch. of Med., A perfect fit: 3D-printed kit to teach students principles of antigen-antibody recognition and herd immunity

Breakout Session Leaders

• Vitaly V. Ganusov, Univ. of Tennessee, and Julie M. Jameson, California State Univ., San Marcos, Use of the AAI curriculum recommendations in an undergraduate immunology course
• Tomas Helikar, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, Louis B. Justement, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham, Sumali Pandey, Minnesota State Univ., Moorhead, and Rebekah T. Taylor, Frostburg State Univ., Modeling immunological networks in an educational setting using Cell Collective*
• Aimee Pugh-Bernard, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Med. Campus, The use and creation of analogies as a teaching tool for understanding immunology
• Rebecca Rivard, Gwynedd Mercy Univ., Immune Battle: use of a board game to help improve student understanding of immune function

Are you looking for new ideas or strategies to enliven and improve your teaching? If so, please join us for this special interest group, which will focus on strategies that instructors can use to successfully convey immunology concepts to students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This session will explore teaching strategies through talks and structured breakout discussion groups. Current educators, new faculty, and trainees with an interest in teaching are welcome.

*Bring your laptop to get the most out of this breakout session!

40. Careers Roundtables and Speed Networking Session

Sponsored by the AAI Minority Affairs Committee
Generously supported by the Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine

Chair

• Tonya J. Webb, Univ. of Maryland Sch. of Med., AAI Minority Affairs Committee Chair

Career building and networking skills have never been more crucial to ensure success for trainees and early career scientists, including those traditionally underrepresented in biomedical research. At the session, take advantage of the opportunity to meet in small-group format with established immunologists and others to hear how they have handled the career challenges you now face and learn what they believe will work for you today. Then practice networking in a relaxed environment offering a structured networking exercise and personalized feedback on communicating your scientific interests/objectives most effectively. Scientists and trainees of all backgrounds are encouraged to attend!

Registration Fee: $30 (includes lunch)

Discussion Topics

Grad Student: Finding a Mentor, Setting Sights on Postdoc Training

• Curtis Henry, Emory Univ.; Beth Tamburini, Univ. of Colorado
• Julie Mirpuri, UT Southwestern Med. Ctr.; Henrique Serezani, Vanderbilt Univ.
• Joseph Larkin III, Univ. of Florida; Robin Stephens, Rutgers Univ.

Navigating Challenges Unique to International Graduate Students and Postdocs

• Adriana Larregina, Univ. of Pittsburgh; Mercedes Rincon, Univ. of Colorado
• Craig Maynard, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham; Lili Sanmarco, Seismic Therap.

Postdoc: Finding a Mentor, Setting Sights on a Faculty Position

• Luis Montaner, The Wistar Inst.; Charlotte Vines, Univ. of Texas at El Paso
• Harlan Jones, Univ. of North Texas; Antonieta Guerrero-Plata, Louisiana State Univ.
• Maria-Luisa Alegre, Univ. of Chicago; Jeniffer Hernandez, Keck Graduate Inst.

Junior Faculty: Preparing for Promotion and Tenure

• Elizabeth Kovacs, Univ. of Colorado; Carla Rothlin, Yale Sch. of Med.
• Jose Conejo-Garcia, Duke Univ.; Tonya Webb, Univ. of Maryland Sch. of Med.
• Robert Binder, Univ. of Pittsburgh

Maintaining Research Productivity at a Primarily Undergraduate Teaching Institution

• Michael Opata, NIAID, NIH; Jennifer Punt, Univ. of Pennsylvania

Academia or Industry: How to Decide (or Switch Sides)

• Louise D’Cruz, BD Biosci.; Stephen Haley, Immudex
• Jonathan Deane, Kumquat Biosci.; Barbara Sullivan, Ultragenyx
• Robert Balderas, BD Biosci.; Kiyomi Komori, Kinevant Sciences
• Cherié Butts, Biogen; Sadiye Rieder, Horizon Therapeut.
• Steven Crampton, Janssen Pharma.; Isharat Yusuf, Gossamer Bio
• Frann Antignano, STEMCELL Technol.; Rashade Haynes II, Bristol Myers Squibb

Government Agency Careers (including Grant Review)

• Swinburne Augustine, EPA; Kelly Hudspeth, NIAID, NIH
• Timothy Gondre-Lewis, NIAID, NIH; Anuja Mathew, NIAID, NIH
• Thomas Conway, NIAID, NIH; Vanitha Raman, NIAID, NIH

Beyond the Bench Science Careers:

• Entrepreneurship
  • Eduardo Davila, Univ. of Colorado; Amber Miller, Fortis Life Sci.
  • James Lillard, Morehouse Sch. of Med.; Aliyah Weinstein, Fortis Life Sci.
• Nonprofits/Foundations
  • Derek Haseltine, Hertz Fndn.; Thandi Onami, Bill and Melinda Gates Fndn.
• Science Policy
  • Emily Kansler, AAI; Jacob Schumacher, AAI; Yvette Seger, FASEB
• Scientific Patent Law
  • Jaconda Wagner, Wagner Law LLC; Joseph Hsiao, Officeof the Solicitor, U.S. Dept. of the Interior
• Scientific Publishing /Science Writing
  • Adriana Benavides, Am. Assoc. for Cancer Res.; Charles Richter, AAI
  • Nicole Beauchamp, AAI; Emily Arturo, AAI

45. Immunological Approaches to (Re)emerging and Global Zoonotic Threats

Sponsored by the AAI Veterinary Immunology Committee

Chair

• Janice C. Telfer, Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, AAI Veterinary Immunology Committee Chair

Speakers

• Joan Lunney, USDA, ARS, The pig as a biomedical model: importance for immunity, disease, and vaccine research
• Rudra Channappanavar, Oklahoma State Univ. Col. of Vet. Med., Role of dysregulated immunity in the pathogenesis of coronavirus infections
• Bronwyn M. Gunn, Washington State Univ. Col. of Vet. Med., Leveraging a systems serology approach to define antibody-mediated mechanisms of immunity against zoonotic viral infection
• Christopher A. Hunter, Univ. of Pennsylvania Sch. of Vet. Med., Understanding how mRNA vaccines promote CD8⁺ T cell responses

The modern hyper-mobile world, climate change, and increased contact between wildlife and humans has led to the increased incidence of emerging infectious disease (EID), which is defined as an infectious disease in which incidence has increased in the past 20 years and has potential for increasing further in the future. It is estimated that more than six out of every 10 known EIDS in people can be spread from animals, and three out of every four newly detected EIDs in people are transmitted from animal reservoirs. It is thus important to understand the pathogen–host immune response in all species. This symposium will highlight the study of swine as an important biomedical model species and reservoir as well as strategies to improve vaccines designed to combat EIDs in all species.

54. Giving an Effective Media Interview

Sponsored by the AAI Public Communications Committee

Did you know that immunologists are in high demand by the media as subject matter experts? The pandemic highlighted the crucial role that the field of immunology plays in public health, and interest in related health topics is growing well beyond COVID-19 and vaccines. If you can speak about immunology in a way that is easy for the public to understand, and if you know how to prepare for a media interview, you can become a sought-after expert!

For descriptions and details of all sessions, please visit the IMMUNOLOGY2023™ Program page.

In this session, media trainer Andrea Fetchko, vice president, JPA Health, will teach you the general principles of preparing for and delivering an effective media interview. Learn how to develop your message and talking points, how to stay on message, how to speak so that consumers can understand and remember your points, and the Top 10 Dos and Don’ts of media interviewing.

You will also learn what to expect when speaking to a print journalist versus being a guest on a television or radio news show. Additionally, Kristina McBurney, Ph.D., a producer of The Immunology Podcast, will also join us to share tips specific to being a memorable and engaging podcast guest.

114. Spotlight on AAI Journals

Sponsored by the AAI Publications Committee

Chairs

• Daniel J. Campbell, Benaroya Res. Inst., AAI Publications Committee Chair
• Eugene M. Oltz, Ohio State Univ. Col. of Med., Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Immunology

Speakers

• Nitya Jain, Harvard Med. Sch., RXRA regulates the development of resident tissue macrophages
• Todd Bartkowiak, Vanderbilt Univ., Systems immunology analyses of STAT1 gain-of-function immune phenotypes reveal heterogeneous response to IL-6 and broad immunometabolic roles for STAT1
• Tiffany Taylor, Univ. of Pittsburgh, Roles of IL-17-responsive transcription factors in regulating oropharyngeal candidiasis
• Joshua J. Obar, Geisel Sch. of Med. at Dartmouth, Alveolar macrophages: controllers of the antifungal interferon response
• Zhichao Fan, UConn Health, CFTR in regulating monocyte recruitment and integrin function
• Vanessa Espinosa, Rutgers New Jersey Med. Sch., Neutrophils license the maturation of monocytes into effective antifungal effectors

A symposium featuring talks highlighting papers recently published in The Journal of Immunology and ImmunoHorizons.

126. Careers in Science Lecture and Roundtables

Sponsored by the AAI Education Committee and AAI Committee on the Status of Women

Chair

• Dorina Avram, Moffitt Cancer Ctr., Committee on the Status of Women Chair

Speaker

• Gwendalyn J. Randolph, Washington Univ. Sch. of Med. in St. Louis, Avoiding tokenism—choosing your seat at the table

At this popular session, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with experienced scientists to explore specific career issues important to today's scientists. Gain insights into issues you are confronting in your own career. Topics include international opportunities in science, succeeding in graduate school, tips on grant writing, considerations for scientists in M.D.-Ph.D. careers, and exciting careers beyond the bench. Topics include building productive mentor/mentee relationships; overcoming self-doubt; and tackling gender biases in recruitment, research, and leadership; and navigating work/life issues, such as balancing careers with family and transitioning from specific career stages, which may be relevant to any work environment (academic research, biotech industry, governmental agencies, nonprofit). Don’t miss this great opportunity!

Registration Fee: $30 (includes lunch)

Discussion Topics

A Conversation about Bystander Intervention

• Gwendalyn J. Randolph, Washington Univ. Sch. of Med. in St. Louis

New PI (mentoring effectively, recruiting students and postdocs, preparing for promotion, early career self-promotion)

• Venuprasad Poojary, UT Southwestern Med. Ctr.; Gregory F. Sonnenberg, Weill Cornell Med.

Succeeding in Graduate School

• Lee Ann Garrett-Sinha, Univ. at Buffalo, SUNY; Joseph Larkin, III, Univ. of Florida; Brian Sheridan, Stony Brook Univ.; David Weiner, Wistar Inst.

Graduate Student to Postdoc

• Ann Griffith, UT Health San Antonio; Wei Luo, Indiana Univ. Sch. of Med.; Joyce Wu, Ohio State Univ.

Postdoc to PI

• Lisa Denzin, Child Health Inst. of New Jersey; David Hafler, Yale Sch. of Med.; Shruti Naik, New York Univ. Grossman Sch. of Med.; Irene Salinas, Univ. of New Mexico; Robin Stephens, Rutgers New Jersey Med. Sch.

Work/Life Balance

• Kate MacNamara, Albany Med. Col.; Liang Zhou, Univ. of Florida

Building Networking Skills

• Judith Cannon, Univ. of New Mexico; Cheong-Hee Chang, Univ. of Michigan; Rachel Gerstein, Univ. of Massachusetts Chan Med. Sch.; Amanda Jamieson, Brown Univ.

Biotech and Industry

• Richard Boismenu, Sangamo Therapeutics; Richard Hanna, AstraZeneca; James Jin, Biocytogen Boston Corp.; Kiyomi Komori, Kinevant Sciences; Nikki B. Marshall, GSK; Sadiye Rieder, Horizon Therapeut.; Karsten Sauer, Cullinan Oncology; Erica Stone, GigaGen

Careers in Science Policy

• Lauren G. Gross, AAI; Emily Kansler, AAI

Grant Writing for PIs

• Michele Anderson, Univ. of Toronto; Jie Sun, Univ. of Virginia

Grant Writing for Fellowships

• Shannon Dunn, St. Michael’s Hosp., Toronto; Virginia Shapiro, Mayo Clin.

Research from the M.D., Ph.D. Perspective/The Physician Scientist

• Maria-Louisa Alegre, Univ. of Chicago; Amal Amer, Ohio State Univ.; Onyinye Iweala, Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Fayyaz Sutterwala, Cedars-Sinai Med. Ctr.

Careers in Veterinary Immunology

• Weishan Huang, Louisiana State Univ.; Crystal Loving, National Animal Disease Ctr.

International Opportunities

• Haiyan Liu, Natl. Univ. of Singapore; Gianluca Veggiani, Louisiana State Univ. and Cold Spring Harbor Lab.

How to Build Productive Mentor/Mentee Relationships

• Barbara Kee, Univ. of Chicago; Kashayarsha Khazaie, Mayo Clin.

Balancing Teaching Responsibilities with Research

• Deborah Brown, Clarkson Univ. and Trudeau Inst.; Julie Jameson, California State Univ., San Marcos

How to Negotiate for Better Self-Promotion

• Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, St. Jude Children’s Res. Hosp.; Malini Raghavan, Univ. of Michigan

NEW! Science Communication, Popular Science Writing, Editing

• Deepta Bhattacharya, Univ. of Arizona; Jennifer Grier, Univ. of South Carolina Sch. of Med., Greenville

Challenges for Women Mentors and PIs

• Laurence Morel, UT Hlth. San Antonio; Carla Rothlin, Yale Sch. of Med.

Academia versus Industry

• Mandy McGeachy, Cornell Univ.; Jeff Rathmell, Vanderbilt Univ. Med. Ctr.

Alternative Careers

• Dan Nevrivy, Nevrivy Patent Law Grp.

Tackling Gender Biases in Recruitment, Research, and Leadership

• Avery August, Cornell Univ.; Dorina Avram, Moffitt Cancer Ctr.

Careers in Government Agencies

• Yasmine Belkaid, NIAID, NIH; Deborah Hodge, NIAID, NIH; Kaushiki Mazumdar, CSR, NIH; Courtney Pinard, NIMH, NIH

Scientific Publishing

• Henrique Borges da Silva; Mayo Clin.; Jose Conejo-Garcia, Duke Univ.

Opportunities for Scientists in Non-profits/Foundations

• Jennifer Pesanelli, Biophysical Society; Joshua Vieth, JDRF

196. Sip and Learn: Speed Networking with Immunology Educators

Sponsored by the AAI Education Committee and ImmunoHorizons

Chairs

• Nicholas A. Pullen, Univ. of Northern Colorado, AAI Education Committee Chair
• Heather A. Bruns, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham, ImmunoHorizons Editor

Mentors:

• Katayoun Ayasoufi, Mayo Clin.
• Aimee Bernard, Univ. of Colorado
• Bonnie Blomberg, Univ. of Miami, Miller Sch. of Med.
• Deborah Brown, Trudeau Inst.
• Melanie Gubbels Bupp, Randolph-Macon Col.
• Farhan Cyprian, Qatar Univ., Qatar
• Benjamin Enslow, Univ. of Texas Hlth. Sci. Ctr., San Antonio
• Beth Garvy, Univ. of Kentucky, Chandler Med. Ctr.
• Maria Guerrero-Plata, Louisiana State Univ.
• Jeniffer Hernandez, Keck Grad. Inst.
• Stephanie James, Regis Univ.
• Liliana Lamperti, Univ. of Concepcion, Chile
• Estefania Nova-Lamperti, Univ. of Concepcion, Chile
• Reinhard Obst, Univ. of Munich, Germany
• Robin Orozco, Univ. of Kansas
• Sumali Pandey, Minnesota State Univ.
• Fernanda Rosa, Texas Tech Univ.
• Sophia Sarafova, Davidson Col.
• Jastaranpreet Singh, Univ. of Toronto, Canada
• Michelle Swanson-Mungerson, Midwestern Univ., Chicago Col. of Osteopathic Med.
• Julie Swartzendruber, Midwestern Univ.
• Michael Volin, Midwestern Univ.

Are you interested in immunology education? Join the editors of ImmunoHorizons and the AAI Education Committee for a networking event for current and future immunology educators! The first part of this session will be short one-on-one meetings, where you’ll have the opportunity to meet others with an interest in immunology education. Then attendees can continue their conversations in a relaxed setting over coffee. All are welcome! Scientists and trainees of all backgrounds are encouraged to attend.

Registration Fee: $15 (includes coffee)

202. Careers in Biotech: Panel Discussion and Networking

Sponsored by the AAI Education Committee
Generously supported by BD Biosciences

Chair

• Kiyomi Komori, Kinevant

Panelists

• Agata Bartczak, Horizon Therapeut.
• Louise M. D'Cruz, BD Biosci.
• Ian T. Saunders, Janssen Res. and Development
• Thomas A. Wynn, Pfizer

Many opportunities exist in industry for scientists with advanced degrees. There are positions in laboratory research, program management, business development, regulatory affairs, clinical trials oversight, medical liaison, and more. This panel features scientists employed in a variety of positions in industry discussing their career paths and the skills required for success in each. Following the panel discussion, enjoy casual conversation with the speakers and other scientists from industry at a networking reception.

210. AAI Vanguard Award Presentation and Lecture

Sponsored by the AAI Minority Affairs Committee
Generously supported by BD Biosciences

AAI President Mark M. Davis will introduce the awardee and present the award immediately prior to Dr. Binder’s lecture.

Chair

• Tonya J. Webb, Univ. of Maryland Sch. of Med., AAI Minority Affairs Committee Chair

Speaker

The AAI Vanguard Award recognizes an underrepresented member investigator noted for significant scientific achievement and exemplary career success.