This award supports a workshop that will explore the potential for in the area of ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. The workshop be held in Kunming China in October 2012. Investigators from the United States and China will discuss research priorities and ways to collaborate and explore the potential for joint US and China research in the area of ecology and evolution of infectious disease, and stimulate awareness of the crosscutting benefits of such efforts. Cross-cultural and interdisciplinary knowledge and novel insight will be gained as well as lasting collaborations towards uncovering key questions in this arena. Current research in the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases is often directed nationally. Focused, international efforts will permit investigators to share information, training, and experience as well as work on a level that reflects the reality that diseases are not restricted to national boundaries. By igniting investigative interest on an international level, costs effective strategies from shared funding and research efforts will evolve.
The US-China Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Collaborative Workshop was held in Kunming China in October 2012 with great success. Investigators from the United States and China discussed research priorities and novel ways to collaborate in the future, exploring the potential for joint US and China research on the ecology and evolution of infectious disease. Top researchers and investigators in the field of international infectious disease came together from the United States and China. Discussions were targeted around approaches toward potential government funding opportunities for these international efforts and stimulating awareness of the crosscutting benefits of such efforts. This meeting was intellectually and collaboratively successful, and thought provoking, leading to numerous avenues to pursue in the future that would be mutually beneficial for both China and the US. A white paper is currently under review for publication in a international peer-reviewed journal, that is focused on encouraging necessary research and funding in the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases in a targeted way from both scientific and funding communities in the US and China. By igniting investigative interest on an international level, costs effective strategies from shared funding and research efforts will evolve in a realistic manner that more closely resembles the current sate of infectious disease international transmission.
