The Seventh International Workshops on Opportunistic Protists (IWOP- 7) will be held at the Kingsgate Hotel Conference Center on the University of Cincinnati campus, June 13-16, 2001. A wet demonstration workshop on the identification of pathogens in drinking water is tentatively scheduled for June 13. The focus of these workshops will be on the AIDS-related opportunistic infectious protists, Pneumocystis, Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma and the microsporidia and amoebae. These workshops, sponsored by The Society of Protozoologists, have evolved from the 1st in Bristol, U.K., 1988 (limited to Pneumocystis), 2nd in Bozeman, Montana, 1991 (which incorporated Cryptosporidium and the microsporidia), 3rd in Cleveland, Ohio, 1994 (which included Toxoplasma), 4th in Tucson, Arizona, 1996, 5th in Lille, France, 1997; and the 6th in Raleigh, North Carolina, 1999. The organisms to be discussed at these scientific meetings are responsible for much of the morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals. Although other meetings sponsored by other organizations have had special sessions on one or several of these opportunistic pathogens, the Workshops on Opportunistic Protists have become the mechanism by which many investigators gather for obtaining comprehensive information focusing on these eukaryotic pathogens. This is the one cross-disciplinary meeting in which most major research groups working on these organisms participate. The rapid publication of short communication proceedings resulting from these workshops in The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology ensures efficient dissemination of up to date information on these pathogens and the diseases they cause. In 2001, the journal with these proceedings will be electronically available. One of the outstanding features of these workshops is that participation (presentations by platform or poster) is open to anyone wishing to present their findings; the only requirement being registration and attendance. This proposal is to request travel support for several invited young investigators, women, and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, in addition to heads of laboratories working at the forefronts on research on these organisms. We anticipate a small amount of funds will be generated by soliciting assistance from the private sector, which will be needed to cover some of the costs of organizing and running the meetings, publishing the proceedings, and travel assistance for invited participants (especially foreign scientists). The University of Cincinnati Kingsgate facility is operated by the Marriott Hotels, and since the University is part of the State of Ohio system, all regulations and guidelines governing handicap access, etc. are in place. The organizers of IWOP-7 reflect the population diversity of the USA: Cushion, Kaneshiro, Marciano-Cabral, and Mead are females; Beck, Bradley, Lindsay and Weiss are males. Mead's ancestors include native Americans; Marciano-Cabral is Hispanic; Kaneshiro has Pacific-Asian ancestry; Cushion, Beck, Bradley, Lindsay, Weiss are white. Lindsay is a physically handicapped individual. A member of the Local Arrangements committee is a female native American graduate student.
