The goal of the present application is to obtain partial funding for trainee programming at the 2017 annual meeting of The PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society (PNIRS). The PNIRS is an international organization for researchers in a number of scientific and medical disciplines, including psychology, neurosciences, immunology, physiology, pharmacology, psychiatry, behavioral medicine, infectious diseases, endocrinology and rheumatology, who are interested in interactions between the nervous and immune systems, and the relationship between behavior and health. The PNIRS meeting is unique among conferences in that it occurs annually and focuses on all aspects of brain ? immune interactions and the domains in which these interactions are studied. The scientific program format includes (1) named lectureships, which provide leaders in the field an hour in which to present their work in depth, (2) symposia, to highlight some of the newest research in the field, and (3) oral sessions chosen from the top scoring abstract submissions to allow for the full representation of the interdisciplinary topics of interest to the PNIRS members. Importantly, a select number of trainees are chosen to present within the oral sessions, providing an important opportunity for early-stage trainees. The majority of the scientific content of the meeting is within the poster session. Poster sessions occur during un-opposed time slots, which are scheduled to maximize participation by attendees. In addition to the Scientific Program, a half-day Educational Short Course and a Professional Development Workshop (trainees only) is presented on the day prior to the meeting. The title of the 2017 PNIRS Short Course is: Resilience and PNI: From Clinical to Basic Science. During the past three PNIRS annual meetings, cancer-related research has been well represented in the scientific program, with approximately 25% of the oral session talks and/or symposia directly relevant to cancer research. Because the local organizing committee members are all from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and because of the close physical proximity of the meeting location (Galveston, TX is approximately 50 miles from MD Anderson Cancer Center), we anticipate that attendees at the meeting will include a large number of cancer researchers and that cancer-related content will be strong.
Interactions between the immune system and the central nervous system (brain) underlie a broad range of disease states. The PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society annual meeting brings together experts in the field to advance knowledge of brain-immune interactions, foster collaborations, and enhance the education of trainees.
