2021 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Investigative Pathology

The purpose of this proposal is to seek support for the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), which will be held in conjunction with the Experimental Biology 2021 conference from May 1-4 using a virtual meeting platform. ASIP’s Annual Meeting provides a unique forum for presentation and sharing of cutting-edge research in experimental pathology. The target audience and subject matter for the meeting are diverse but united by a common focus on mechanisms of disease. The theme of the ASIP 2021 Annual Meeting is ‘From microbiota to artificial intelligence: emerging technologies and approaches for discovering mechanisms of pathobiology.’ Reflecting the interests of the ASIP membership, the 2021 Annual Meeting contains strong components in neoplasia and precision medicine. Major sessions will focus on the tumor microenvironment in breast cancer; hepatic tumorigenesis; epigenetic regulation in cancer; single-cell transcriptome and epigenome analysis; precision oncology; new technologies in precision medicine; and progress in the use of big data and artificial intelligence to understand mechanisms of disease. Application of insights gained from basic research to therapy and prevention will be a particular focus throughout the meeting. The four-day program comprises symposia, workshops, and lectures by award recipients, as well as abstract-driven minisymposia and poster sessions. The program further provides a number of educational initiatives, both targeted and of interest to the biomedical research community as a whole. These include sessions on diverse career paths in the biomedical sciences; preparation for the first faculty position; and creation of individual development plans. The ASIP regards promotion of the career development of trainee and young investigators as an extremely important aspect of the Annual Meeting. Accordingly, the meeting provides not only special events designed for their needs but also sessions that showcase their work. Similarly, the Program Committee works hard to ensure diversity among the participants with respect to gender, ethnic/racial group, and stage of career. The sole specific aim of this application is to promote the participation of trainees in the 2021 Annual Meeting through provision of a trainee scholar award program targeted to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical residents and fellows in pathology.