The NIAID 17th Annual Fellows Workshop will return in person to the Natcher Conference Center on the Bethesda campus of NIH on Friday, December 1. The event, which is set to occur on World AIDS Day, will feature a plenary talk by H. Clifford Lane, M.D., NIAID Clinical Director and Deputy Director for Clinical Research and Special Projects. Dr. Lane is a pioneering contributor to HIV/AIDS research, contributing leading work that saved countless lives, turning HIV infection from a terminal diagnosis into a treatable, chronic disease. Set to open the workshop is NIAID’s 2023 Outstanding Mentor Cathryn Haigh, Ph.D., chief of the Prion Cell Biology Unit, Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories.
A Dynamic Line-up of Fellows Speakers
Hosted virtually for the last several years, the Annual Fellows Workshop returns to the in-person format for the first time since 2019. This year, predoctoral, postdoctoral, research and clinical fellows will present a range of talk types, spanning quick speed pitches all the way to longer-form oral talks. Designed to build on fellows’ communications skills, the Workshop offers an outstanding way for the NIAID community to come together to network and learn about broad areas of science being conducted by NIAID researchers.
The Annual Workshop is open to all NIAID investigators, staff, and fellows and we encourage all to attend! Registration information and a full agenda can be found on the event website.
Note: All fellows are postdoctoral fellows unless noted otherwise.
Invited Speakers:
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Dr. Cathryn Haigh (left) is this year’s NIAID Outstanding Mentor; Dr. H. Clifford Lane (right) will give the afternoon plenary talk.
NIAID Outstanding Mentor
- Cathryn Haigh, Ph.D., Chief of the Prion Biology Unit, Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, DIR
Afternoon Plenary
- H. Clifford Lane, M.D., NIAID Clinical Director & Deputy Director for Clinical Research and Special Projects
Oral Talks
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The fellows who will present oral talks at the NIAID 17th Annual Fellows Workshop are, clockwise from top left, Drs. Jenna M. DeLuca, Sazzad Mahmood, Andrea C. Pichler, and Sarah van Tol.
- Jenna M. DeLuca, Ph.D., Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, DIR
- Sazzad Mahmood, Ph.D., Laboratory of Bacteriology, RML, DIR
- Andrea C. Pichler, Ph.D., Laboratory of Immune System Biology, DIR
- Sarah van Tol, Ph.D., Laboratory of Virology, RML, DIR
Concurrent Talks
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The fellows who will present concurrent talks at the NIAID 17th Annual Fellows Workshop are, from clockwise left to right, Drs. Alexandria Wells, Kyle L. O’Donnell, Nathânia Dábilla, Eva Iniguez, Chang Huang, Victor Band, Simote T. Foliaki, Andrew Platt, Laura Willen, Allison N. Bucsan, Palak N. Patel, Samantha G. Muccilli, Paige Fletcher, Elisha Segrist, and Rodrigo Matus-Nicodemos.
- Alexandria Wells, Ph.D., Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, DIR
- Kyle L. O’Donnell, Ph.D., Laboratory of Virology, RML, DIR
- Nathânia Dábilla, M.S., Ph.D., Laboratory of Viral Diseases, DIR
- Eva Iniguez, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, DIR
- Chang Huang, Ph.D., Laboratory of Immunogenetics, DIR
- Victor Band, Ph.D., Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, DIR
- Simote T. Foliaki, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, RML, DIR
- Andrew Platt, M.D., Clinical Fellow, Laboratory of Viral Diseases, Clinical Center, DIR
- Laura Willen, Ph.D., Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, DIR
- Allison N. Bucsan, Ph.D., Immunology Laboratory, VRC
- Palak N. Patel, Ph.D., Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, DIR
- Samantha Muccilli, Ph.D., Rocky-Beth Fellow, Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, RML, DIR
- Paige Fletcher, Ph.D., Laboratory of Virology, RML, DIR
- Elisha Segrist, Ph.D., Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, DIR
- Rodrigo Matus-Nicodemos, Ph.D., Immunology Laboratory, VRC
Speed Pitches
- Eduard Ansaldo Gine, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, DIR
- Rosie Aogo, Ph.D., Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, DIR
- Joseph Aspinwall, Ph.D., Laboratory of Bacteriology, RML, DIR
- William Bakhache, Ph.D., Laboratory of Viral Diseases, DIR
- Roland Bamou, Ph.D., Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, DIR
- Kelsie Brooks, Ph.D., Laboratory of Viral Diseases, DIR
- Adam Catching, Ph.D., Laboratory of Viral Diseases, DIR
- Liang Chi, Ph.D., Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, DIR
- Adela Chlastokova, Ph.D., Laboratory of Bacteriology, DIR
- Dan Corral, Ph.D., Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, DIR
- Samantha Crane, Ph.D., Laboratory of Bacteriology, RML, DIR
- Cherrelle Dacon, Ph.D, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, VRC
- Katelin L. Davis, D.V.M., Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, DIR
- Sharmina Deloer, Ph.D., Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, DIR
- Atika Dhar, Ph.D., Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, DIR
- Johannes S.P. Doehl, Ph.D., Rocky-Beth Fellow, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, DIR
- Ágnes Donkó, M.D., Ph.D., Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, DIR
- Jessie Ellis, Ph.D., Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, DIR
- Taylor K. Farley, B.S., Predoctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, DIR
- Inta Gribonika, Ph.D., Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, DIR
- Tamara Haque, Ph.D., Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, DIR
- Arti Kataria, M.S., Ph.D., Laboratory of Bacteriology, RML, DIR
- Alberto D. Lopez-Munoz, M.S., Ph.D., Laboratory of Viral Diseases, DIR
- Ashira Lubkin, M.D., Ph.D., Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, DIR
- Luciana Morellatto Ruggieri, Ph.D., Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, DIR
- Motoyoshi Nagai, Ph.D., Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, DIR
- Christine E. Nelson, Ph.D., Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, DIR
- Missiani Ochwoto, Ph.D., Laboratory of Virology, RML, DIR
- Edwin O. Ogola, M.S., Ph.D., Laboratory of Virology, RML, DIR
- Gabriela Pessenda, M.S., Ph.D., Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, DIR
- Julia R. Port, Ph.D., Laboratory of Virology, RML, DIR
- E. Lake Potter, Ph.D., Immunology Laboratory, VRC
- Claudia Rivera, Ph.D., Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, DIR
- Gaurav Shrivastava, Ph.D., Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, DIR
- Byron Shue, Ph.D., Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, RML, DIR
- Camila Oliveira Silva Souza, Ph.D., Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, DIR
- Ana Teijeiro, M.S., Ph.D., Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, DIR
- Arthur Wickenhagen, M.S., Ph.D., Laboratory of Virology, RML, DIR
- Huibin Yu, Ph.D., Laboratory of Viral Diseases, DIR
- Yunliang Zhang, M.S., Ph.D., Laboratory of Viral Diseases, DIR
Fellows' talks may change slightly as the event approaches. Please refer to the event website for the most up-to-date schedule.