? ? The purpose of this proposal is to seek support for the Annual Meetings of the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP) and the North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVBO), which will be held jointly as a synergistic and coordinated program as part of Experimental Biology (EB) in San Diego, CA at the San Diego Convention Center on April 5-9, 2008. ASIP's Annual Meeting offers a unique forum for sharing of basic research related to the cellular and molecular mechanisms of disease and features symposia co-programmed with ASIP's affiliated societies, the Pulmonary Pathology Society and the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology. NAVBO's Annual Meeting is focused on vascular biology, which has evolved over the past decade as a major cross-disciplinary field of study with impacts on a wide number of major human diseases including the """"""""traditional"""""""" vessel wall pathologies such as atherosclerosis and hypertension but also extending to diabetes, stroke, hematological disorders, vascular malformations and neurovascular disorders. The program comprises half-day symposia and workshops, lectures by award recipients, abstract-driven minisymposia and poster sessions. The target audience and subject matter for this annual meeting are diverse but united by a common focus on mechanisms of disease. ASIP's annual meeting also promotes career development of trainee and young investigators through special events designed for their needs and sessions that showcase their work. The program further provides a number of educational initiatives, both targeted and of interest to the biomedical research community as a whole. The specific goals of this application are: 1) to provide formal symposia, workshops, and abstract-driven mini-symposia and poster sessions that that cover new developments in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of vascular, cardiac and pulmonary disease as well as basic mechanisms that regulate blood vessel, heart, lung development and function. These formats will facilitate the involvement of a large number of trainees, young investigators and established investigators; 2) to attract scientists from other disciplines who will be attending EB2008 to the vascular biology and pathology sessions to facilitate cross-disciplinary interactions and thereby take full advantage of holding our annual meetings as part of the multidisciplinary Experimental Biology meeting; 3) to promote the participation of junior investigators and trainees in this meeting through expansion of travel award and mentoring programs, provision of special sessions targeted to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical residents and fellows in pathology. ? ? ?
