About EIDA2Z
Emerging infectious diseases have received increased international attention of late, whether related to the Ebola outbreak, the current concern with Zika virus, or the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. In fact, in the past 4 decades a new or re-emerging infectious disease threat to humans has been identified every 12 to 18 months. The symposium “Emerging Infectious Diseases from A to Z (EIDA2Z): Emerging Challenges and Opportunities” marks the inauguration of Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) to foster innovative interdisciplinary research on emerging pathogens in collaboration with local, national, and global academic and public health partners. Designed to advance knowledge to zero in on the gaps in current understanding of emerging infectious diseases, the EIDA2Z symposium will bring together leading international authorities in the field to chart future research needs in order to improve discovery, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of these global health problems.

The symposium opens on September 18, 2016, with an extraordinary program for the general public to learn about the scientific challenges that emerging infectious diseases represent, and the challenges of clearly communicating complicated science and public health issues to the public. The speakers and panelists are all highly accomplished, internationally known leaders in science and scientific writing who will participate in an extended discussion with the general public to address questions and clarify current understanding of these challenges.  A reception following the program will provide additional opportunity for attendees to meet the speakers and panelists.

Please pre-register for this FREE public forum by clicking the link below:

In addition to the public session, a small group of invited scientists and researchers will be meeting to focus on identifying and filling gaps in knowledge that will improve our ability to discover the causes of emerging infectious diseases, to understand how they are transmitted and cause disease, to develop better diagnostics, treatment and vaccines, and explore how the scientific, public health, and health care communities around the world can collaborate in a more coordinated, innovative, and effective manner. These discussions will help to accelerate needed research, promote research stewardship, and target the development of research tools, policies, and partnerships to identify, treat and prevent emerging infectious diseases for the benefit of all people around the world.

Conference Organizing Committee
Nahid Bhadelia
John H. Connor
Ronald B. Corley
Paul Duprex
Rachel Fearns
James Galagan
Thomas B. Kepler
Gerald T. Keusch (Chair)
Igor Kramnik
Elke Mühlberger
John R. Murphy
Gene Olinger