The emerging field of photonic diagnosis, monitoring, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases is rapidly expanding. Therefore, it is imperative that the latest progress in this field is communicated and disseminated in a timely manner. To address this critical need, a new annual conference series, ?Photonic Diagnosis, Monitoring, Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (PDMPT-ID)?, was founded in 2018. Its previous two conferences: PDMPT-ID 2018 and PDMPT-ID 2019, held on January 29-31, 2018 and February 4-5, 2019, respectively, in San Francisco, CA, were very successful. Building upon the success of PDMPT-ID 2018-2019, we will continue to organize the annual conference series, PDMPT-ID 2020-2024, over the next 5-year period. The conference series will be sponsored by the International Society for Optics and Photonics, a permanently sponsoring organization. PDMPT-ID 2020 will take place on February 3-5, 2020, in San Francisco, CA. PDMPT-ID 2021-2024 are planned for late January to early February of each year. The overall goal of the PDMPT-ID conference is to promote state-of-the-art research and to facilitate the translation of research findings into new approaches. This conference goal will be achieved through performing the following three specific aims:
Aim 1 : To communicate and disseminate new findings in the field of PDMPT-ID. PDMPT-ID 2020 features 10 sessions of oral presentations, one panel discussion, one poster session and many opportunities for informal discussions. Both session evaluation and post-conference evaluation will be a crucial part of the conference. The conference proceedings will be published online with open access.
Aim 2 : To increase collaborations between interdisciplinary research groups. The PDMPT-ID conference series brings together experts from a range of disciplines and with a common interest in PDMPT-ID. The conference will emphasize opportunities for networking and collaboration by hosting single track sessions, panel discussions, coffee breaks and poster sessions. The hosted welcome reception will also include informal discussions. A highlight of the conference is the ?Problems - Solutions? panel discussion, where clinicians will be invited to discuss the clinical problems and translational researchers and basic scientists will brainstorm the potential solutions.
Aim 3 : To supplement and enhance the training of young investigators (YIs). The attendance of YIs will be fostered by awarding travel grants from the NIAID R13 funds, if awarded, to graduate students and postdoc trainees. To support the YIs preparing to meet the daunting challenge of funding their research programs, a pre-conference NIH grant writing workshop will be organized jointly with sister SPIE conferences at the conference site. A special session, ?Young Investigator Competition?, is another highlight of the PDMPT-ID conference. In addition, the PDMPT-ID conference will offer YIs two lunch ?Talk Tables? with invited speakers and experienced mentors to discuss career development and research topics. In summary, the PDMPT-ID conference series serves as a driving force to promote excellence in scientific research and accelerate the development of YIs. The NIAID R13 support will greatly ensure the quality of the program and the ultimate success of the PDMPT-ID conference series.
Infectious diseases are one of the leading causes of mortality globally. Over 95% of the mortality caused by infections is due to the lack of proper diagnosis and treatment. The annual conference series, ?Photonic Diagnosis, Monitoring, Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (PDMPT-ID)?, brings together experts from a range of disciplines and with a common interest in the field of PDMPT-ID to present and discuss scientific research and new data. The overall goal is to promote excellence in research and facilitate the translation of research findings.
