This application request support for pre- and post-doctoral trainees to attend three annual conferences of the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society (PNIRS) Research Perspectives in PNI. There are over 300 members of the PNIRS from the US and abroad, of whom about 30 percent are trainee members. The PNIRS officers are: Keith Kelly, President; Virginia Sanders, Secretary /Treasurer; Michael Irwin, President-elect; John Sheridan, Past-President. A Program Committee, chaired by Keith Kelley and Michael Irwin, Dana Bovbjerg, Christopher Coe, Sheldon Cohen, Robert Dantzer, Fridaus Dhabhar, Adrian Dunn, Annemiecke Kavelaars, Jim Krueger, Andrew Miller, David Padgett, Gayle Page, and Jeffrey Woods is charged with organizing the scientific program and selecting the abstracts for presentation. All trainee awardees will be selected on the basis of the scientific excellence of their submitted abstracts. A considerable body of research suggests that psychological factors alter susceptibility to illness and affect disease progression. To determine the mechanisms, by which psychological factors have this effect, it is essential to promote and enable interactions among immunologists, neuroscientists and behavioral scientists. This conference will provide an outstanding opportunity for trainees to interact with researchers in the field of psychoneurioimmunology (nervous-immune system interactions and their clinical implications). They will learn about available resources for collaborative work, additional training opportunities, and issues related to technical aspects of analysis in the areas of immunology, neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, endocrinology, psychology, and health evaluations, among others. The meeting agenda includes the Norman Cousins Lecture, three symposia, plenary presentations and poster sessions selected from submitted abstracts. In addition, a number of training-related activities are planned for each annual meeting consistent with the society's commitment to training: specialized Educational Courses; Senior Faculty-trainee colloquia; symposia with a focus on career development (e.g. teaching PNI). Other more informal venues (e.g. breakfast and luncheon roundtable meetings with senior investigators, trainee dinners) will foster research collaborations and interactions between senior scientists and trainees. Across three years of funding, an Advisory Committee composed of senior scientists and """"""""graduates"""""""" of the trainee travel award program will oversee this organizational commitment to research training within the context of the PNIRS conference.
