Welcome to the 2007 Merck-Merial-NIH National Conference. This year the conference will be hosted by AAVMC and the University of Pennsylvania on the NIH Campus in Bethesda, Maryland. This conference will bring together Veterinary Students in official Summer Research Programs, Veterinary Combined Degree Students, Post Graduate Veterinarian-Scientists, Training Program Directors, Veterinary Deans, Basic Research Scientists, and Faculty Veterinarian-Scientists in Academia, the Pharmaceutical Industry, and Government Health Agencies. The concurrent AAVMC conference will focus on identifying barriers to research careers by veterinarians, as ways to stimulate research careers by veterinary students. The conference will take place at the Natcher Auditorium on the NIH campus. Rooms are reserved at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Bethesda (until July 2, 2007).

General Information

All students in official research programs are invited to attend. This includes short-term summer research programs, Veterinary Masters degree programs, and long term DVM/PhD programs. Student attendees are expected to present posters of their work.

The conference will include:

• Plenary talks on infectious disease research and public health.
• A minisymposium on comparative oncology.
• Student poster presentations.
• State-of-the-art sessions on multiple topics

  Immunology/Hematology

  Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine

  Genetic Disease

  Neurobiology

  Cancer

  Infectious Disease

  Laboratory Animal Medicine

• The Young Investigator Award for Graduate Veterinarians performing research.
• Overlapping sessions with the concurrent AAVMC meeting on stimulating veterinary research careers.
• Directors of T32 post-graduate training programs will be attending to provide information on their programs.
• The Annual NCRR Directors Meeting
• The Annual Merck-Merial Program Directors Meeting.
• Social activities will include a picnic dinner on the National Mall and a closing Banquet.

For further information contact us at: atchison@vet.upenn.edu.

Registration

Student registration is $300. Merck-Merial funded students do not pay this fee and a number of scholarships will be provided for additional students. All other students will pay the $300 registration fee. All non-student participants (Deans, Directors, faculty, etc) pay a registration fee of $375. Registration includes conference participation, two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, all coffee breaks, the opening night reception, the picnic on the national mall, bus transportation to the mall, bus transportation to NIH each day, the closing banquet, and transportation to and from the airport. Conference registration deadline is Monday, July 2.
Register Now

Lodging

A block of rooms is reserved at the Hyatt Regency, Bethesda Maryland.

Hyatt Regency Bethesda
One Bethesda Metro Center (7400 Wisconsin Ave),
Bethesda, Maryland, USA 20814
Tel: +1 301 657 1234   Fax: +1 301 657 6453

This is a full service hotel on the Metro Red Line nearby the NIH campus. Lodging costs for Merck-Merial funded students will be covered by the conference. All other participants will receive the special conference rate of $162 per night (double occupancy). Merck-Merial Funded students will share rooms. Students should pick their roommates prior to reserving their room.
Reserve your room

Travel

Each program should book their own travel. There are 3 airports in the DC area: Dulles International, Reagan National, and BWI. You can use any of these airports and the University of Pennsylvania will shuttle participants to the Hotel. The conference will reimburse travel expenses for Merck-Merial funded students. We ask that you find the cheapest option. We will be communicating with each program directly concerning the amount that can be covered for Merck-Merial funded students. We will also be providing a limited number of travel scholarships for other students. Schools that are in ground travel distance to Washington are encouraged to drive since that would save the program considerable funds. Please consider this option if it is practical.

Security

Entry to the NIH campus requires a security check. To streamline this process we will be prescreening conference participants for security each morning, issuing NIH security badges, and bussing participants to the NIH campus. For those who chose to not take the bus, the hotel is on the Metro Red line and NIH is one stop north. However, anyone who chooses to use the Metro will need to go through NIH security on their own. In either case participants need to bring valid picture ID. For more information on security go to: http://www.nih.gov/about/visitorsecurity.htm/

Abstract Submission and Poster Information

All Summer Program students attending the conference are expected to submit abstracts of their work and to present posters. Abstracts should include:
Title in bold
Authors Names (student noted by asterisk)
Institution and address.

Description of the project should be no more than 300 words. Abstracts should have 1 inch margins and submitted as a Word document attachment to: vmstp@vet.upenn.edu

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JULY 2, 2007

It is understood that the abstracts and the posters will be works in progress since students will not have completed their projects. Therefore, the abstracts and posters should answer the questions below:
1. What are the questions you are addressing?
2. What experimental approaches are you using to address those questions?
3. What is your progress to date?

Again, WE DO NOT EXPECT YOUR PROJECTS TO BE COMPLETED. If you have considerable data, great! If not, present what you have and tell what your goals are for the remainder of the summer.

For poster presentations, whenever possible, use figures and diagrams rather than words. Try to present your poster using the least amount of text possible to make it easy for the viewer. Make sure all figures and text are clearly readable from a distance of 6 feet. Posters should fit within a 4 ft x 4 ft area.

Young Investigator Award

Graduate veterinarians pursuing advanced research training through doctoral or post-doctoral programs are invited to compete for the Young Investigator Award by submitting a research abstract with supporting documentation and a biographical sketch (specific requirements presented below). The abstracts will be evaluated by a panel of academic and industrial scientists for innovation, experimental design, potential impact of results and outcomes, and relevance to comparative biomedicine. Five finalists will be invited to attend "Veterinarians in Biomedical Research: Building National Capacity" in Bethesda, Maryland at the National Institutes of Health on August 1-4, 2007, and to present their work as a 15-minute platform talk. Finalists will receive complimentary travel, accommodations and meeting registration. The Young Investigator presentations will be evaluated by senior scientists with appropriate expertise in veterinary biomedical science. Three $500 awards will be made on the basis of scientific merit, quality of presentation, and responses to questions. Recipients will be recognized at the closing banquet.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: June 8, 2007

Qualifications:
Submissions will be accepted from veterinarians who are pursuing advanced research training through participation in either doctoral or post-doctoral training programs; veterinarians who completed such training in 2006 or 2007 are also eligible. Dual degree students who have not yet received the DVM or VMD are ineligible for the competition. Any finalist who cannot personally present their work will be ineligible for an award.

Requested material:

• Applicant information including contact information (name, address, phone number, email) and a 2-3 page biographical sketch in NIH format (for example see: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/biosketchsample.doc)
• Abstract and supporting documentation may be submitted either as hard copy or in electronic format. The title, authorship (names and institutional affiliations), and body of the abstract should not exceed one typed page (12 point font, 1 inch margins, PDF format). The abstract should not contain figures or graphs; however, these may be submitted as supporting material in print (2 page) or electronic (2 page, 1 MB, PDF format) form.
• A letter from the candidate's research mentor, department head or Dean stating that the contributed work was performed primarily by the candidate, and that the candidate is a graduate veterinarian currently or recently engaged in research training, as specified above.

Address For Submission:
Young Investigator Award
c/o B.J. Thompson
College of Veterinary Medicine
Kansas State University
228 Coles Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
Email: bthomps@vet.k-state.edu
785-532-4501 or 785-532-1918

Conference Schedule

Merck-Merial-NIH National Conference
and Concurrent AAVMC Conference
Veterinarians in Biomedical Research:
Building National Capacity

August 1 - 4, 2007
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland

Commencement of the AAVMC Conference
Wednesday, August 1, 2007 Hyatt Regency Terrace
5:00 - 7:00 PM	Reception	Dr. Daryl Buss, Program Chair
Thursday, August 2, 2007 Natcher Conference Center, E1 & E2
8:30 - 9:00 AM	Welcome and Opening Comments	Dr. Timothy Boosinger, AAVMC Dr. Gregory Hammer, AVMA Dr. Barbara Alving, NIH-NCR
Plenary Session: Building National Capacity - The Background
9:00 - 9:30 AM	Review of the documented needs for veterinarians in biomedical research	Dr. Thomas Rosol, Ohio State
9:30 - 9:50 AM	AAVMC Foresight Analysis and Long Range Planning: Addressing the need for veterinarians in biomedical research	Dr. Keith Prasse, AAVMC
9:50 - 10:10 AM	REFRESHMENT BREAK
Panel Session: What factors attract or discourage veterinarians from research careers?		Dr. Bert Stromberg, Moderator
10:10 - 10:40 AM	PhD student perspective	Dr. Scott Aoki, Harvard Dr. Stephan Carey, Michigan State
10:40 - 11:10 AM	Veterinary student perspective	Ms. Carole Harbison, Cornell Ms. Jodi Woods, Wisconsin
11:10 - 11:30 AM	Program director perspective	Dr. Michael Atchison, Pennsylvania
11:30 - 12:00 AM	Moderated discussion, Q & A	All Panelists
12:00 - 1:00 PM	LUNCH
Keynote Address		Dr. Richard Wyatt, NIH, OD
1:00 - 1:30 PM	The role of veterinarians in biomedical research
Panel Session: Programs to promote engagement of veterinarians in biomedical research		Dr. James Fox, Moderator
1:30 - 2:10 PM	Federal Programs	Dr. Barbara Alving, NCRR Dr. Stephen Sundlof, FDA
2:10 - 2:50 PM	Industry Programs	Dr. Gary Cockerill, Cockerill Inc. Dr. Gerry Hickey, Merck, Inc.
2:50 - 3:10 PM	REFRESHMENT BREAK
3:10 - 3:40 PM	Nonprofit Institute Programs	Dr. Patricia Olsen, Morris An. Fnd. Dr. William Galey, HHMI
3:40 - 4:00 PM	Moderated Discussion	All Panelists
4:00 - 5:00 PM	Breakout Sessions (15-20 people each)
	Question 1: What are the priorities for new/renewed strategies to develop more DVMs entering biomedical research?	Room A Dr. Roberto Alva, Facilitator Room B Dr. Mark Simpson, Facilitator
	Question 2: What are the priorities for new/renewed strategies to reduce the loss of DVMs from biomedical research?	Room C (1 & 2) Dr. Thomas Rosol, Facilitator Room E (1 & 2) Dr. Joan Hendricks, Facilitator
	Question 3: How can we better mesh and align federal government, industry, and academia to produce more DVMs in biomedical research?	Room F (1 & 2) Dr. Gerry Hickey, Facilitator Room G (1 & 2) Dr. Franziska Grieder, Facilitator
THURSDAY EVENING Hyatt Regency Ballroom
6:00 - 9:00 PM	Reception with Merck-Merial-NIH Students
Commencement of the Merck-Merial-NIH Conference
Friday, August 3, 2007
6:00 - 8:30 AM	Busing from Hotel to Natcher Center, Security Clearance, Continental Breakfast. Poster presenters A to K on early bus to set up posters at Natcher Center.
Opening Session		Natcher Center Auditorium
8:30 - 9:00 AM	Welcome & Opening Comments	Dr. Michael Atchison, University of Pennsylvania Dr. Gerry Hickey, Merck Dr. Kevin Schultz, Merial Dr. Andrew Mccabe, AAVMC
Keynote Address
9:00 - 10:00	The role of veterinarians in public health	Dr. Lonnie King, CDC
Poster Session I		Natcher Center Upper Lobby
10:00 - 12:00 PM	Student research presentations (Posters A-K) 10:00-11:00 Odd number posters presented 11:00-12:00 Even number posters presented Postgraduate training and employment opportunities introductions/tables
Lunch		Natcher Center Breakout Rooms
12:00 - 1:30 PM	NCRR Training Program Directors Meeting Dr. Ray O'Neill (NCRR)	Room D
12:00 - 1:30 PM	Student Breakout Sessions and Discussions Students will be assigned to one of the groups and rooms listed below. Discussion in each room will be moderated by students who attended the AAVMC conference on Thursday, August 2. Students in each room will address the question below: Question 4: How do faculty members influence student interest in biomedical research careers? What can be done to stimulate and motivate student interest? Reports from these breakout sessions will be presented on Saturday, August 4.
Group 1 Student Leaders and Student Participants___________ Room A Group 2 Student Leaders and Student Participants___________ Room B Group 3 Student Leaders and Student Participants___________ Room C (1 & 2) Group 4 Student Leaders and Student Participants___________ Room E1 Group 5 Student Leaders and Student Participants___________ Room E2 Group 6 Student Leaders and Student Participants___________ Room F (1 & 2) Group 7 Student Leaders and Student Participants___________ Room G (1 & 2) Group 8 DVM/PhD Students_________ Natcher Auditorium
Plenary Session		Natcher Center Auditorium
1:30 - 4:30 PM	Enhancing mechanistic understanding of cancer metastasis by integrating basic and veterinary investigative perspectives	Dr. Mark Simpson, NCI, Moderator
1:30 - 2:50 PM	Using Mouse Models to Understand Human Cancer	Dr. Jeff Green, NCI
	A comparative approach towards cancer metastasis biology and therapy	Dr. Chand Khanna, NCI
	Molecular mechanisms in metastasis research	Dr. Patricia Steeg, NCI
2:50 - 3:10 PM	REFRESHMENT BREAK
3:10 - 4:30 PM	What can the mouse teach us about metastasis?	Dr. Glenn Merlino, NCI
	Translational mouse models of cancer	Dr. Tom Rosol, Ohio State
	Kinase Dysfunction in Canine Cancer	Dr. Cheryl London, Ohio State
FRIDAY EVENING		National Mall, West Potomac Park
4:30 - 5:00 PM	Buses leave Natcher Center for Hotel
5:30 PM	Buses depart for National Mall
6:00 - 10:00 PM	Picnic Dinner
10:00 PM	Buses will leave the National Mall for the Hotel at 10:00 PM
SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 2007
6:00 - 8:30 AM	Busing from Hotel to Natcher Center, Security Clearance, Continental Breakfast. Poster presenters L to Z on early bus to set up posters at Natcher Center.
Plenary Session: Young Investigator Presentations		Natcher Center Auditorium Dr. Lisa Freeman, Moderator
8:30 - 8:45 AM	Expression of the CALM-AF10 fusion gene in mice leads to acute leukemia which can be accelerated by retroviral infection	David Caudell, NIH
8:45 - 9:00 AM	Pharmacological approaches to improve respiratory function after spinal cord injury	Francis Golder, Univ. Pennsylvania
9:00 - 9:15 AM	Studies of acute and persistent cystitis reveal mouse strain-dependent checkpoints that impact the outcome of disease by uropathogenic Escherichia Coli	Thomas Hannan, Washington Univ.
9:15 - 9:30 AM	RNA interference of the glycoprotein-D and DNA polymerase genes of feline herpesvirus by synthetic siRNAs	Rebecca Wilkes, Univ. Tennessee
9:30 - 9:45 AM	Sodium valproate to enhance doxorubicin sensitivity	Luke Wittneberg, Washington Univ
Poster Session II		Natcher Center Upper Lobby
10:00 - 12:00	Student research presentations (Posters L-Z) 10:00-11:00 Odd number posters presented 11:00-12:00 Even number posters presented Postgraduate training and employment opportunities introductions/tables
12:00 - 1:00 PM	LUNCH	Natcher Center Cafeteria
12:00 - 1:00 PM	Merck-Merial Directors Meeting - Dr. Gerry Hickey	Room D
1:00 - 2:45 PM	Concurrent Sessions: State-of-the-Art Presentations (30 minutes each + 5 min. change time; participants attend 3 out of 8)
Immunology/ hematology	Donohue, Modiano, Meek	Room A
Genomics	Ostrander, Kotlikoff	Room B
Stem cells/ regenerative medicine	Cibelli, Kehler, Hankenson	Room C (1 & 2)
Genetic Disease	Wolfe, Vite	Room E1
Neurobiology	Hendricks, Messing	Room E2
Cancer	Mason, Khanna	Room F (1 & 2)
Infectious Disease	Hirsch, Milward	Room G (1 & 2)
Lab Animal Medicine	Hoyt, Hoogstraten-Miller, Schech, Thomas, Klaunberg	Natcher Auditorium
2:45 - 3:00 PM	REFRESHMENT BREAK
Plenary Session: Bringing it All Together		Natcher Center Auditorium
3:00 - 4:00 PM	Breakout Session Reports (Facilitators will combine their groups' comments into a single report for each question)	Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 (Veterinary students)
4:00 - 4:45 PM	Reaction to Reports (Facilitators stay on stage as a panel)	Dr. Daryl Buss, Moderator
4:45 - 5:00 PM	Closing Comments	Dr. Daryl Buss, Moderator
5:00 - 5:30 PM	Buses depart from Natcher Center to Hotel
SATURDAY EVENING		Hyatt Regency Ballroom
6:30 - 7:00 PM	Reception
6:30 - 10:00 PM	Awards Banquet
	Entertainment	TRIAGE

Natcher Conference Center Information

William H. Natcher Conference Center
National Institutes of Health
45 Center Drive
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-496-9966

The Natcher Conference Center (Building 45) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is located in the Natcher Building, 45 Center Drive, on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The Natcher Building is across the street and north from Building 38A and the National Library of Medicine. The meeting will be held in the Auditorium and breakout rooms located on the lower level of the conference center. Posters will be presented on both the upper and lower levels.

The Natcher Conference Center is a state-of-the-art conference center with the latest technology in audio-visual presentations, recordings, interactive video and audio technology.

The center consists of a 1000 seat auditorium, two video teleconferencing rooms with 30 seats each, and seven conference rooms with a maximum of 140 seats. The Natcher Conference Center is fully accessible.

Getting There

NOTE: New security measures have been put in place on the NIH campus, affecting both staff and visitors. For more information, please refer to the NIH Visitors and Security page on the main NIH Web site.

Each day we will be bussing attendees from the Hyatt Regency to the NIH campus. If for any reason you are not able to take these busses, we strongly encourage taking the Metro to the Natcher Conference Center. There are very few visitor parking spaces at NIH. There is a three-hour limit on visitor parking spaces, and ticketing is enforced and irreversible. The Natcher Conference Center is a 5-minute walk from the Medical Center station on the Red Line. The Natcher Building is located on Center Drive directly behind the Medical Center Stop.

NIH Campus Parking Map  Washington Metrorail Map

If you must drive, take the Wisconsin Avenue exit from the Capital Beltway (Rte 495) and go 1.5 miles south on Wisconsin Avenue toward Bethesda to the 5th traffic light at Center Drive/Jones Bridge Rd. Turn right onto Center Drive. The Natcher Building is at 45 Center Drive and is located across from the Library of Medicine.

An alternative to parking at NIH is to drive to Bethesda and park in a public lot in Bethesda. From Bethesda you can either take the Metro (stop is located at East West Highway and Wisconsin Ave.) to the Medical Center Stop or walk up Wisconsin Avenue to Center Drive (about a 10-15 minute walk). You may also drive and park at other Metro Stops on the Red Line that have public parking and take the Metro to the Medical Center station. Convenient stops include Rockville, White Flint and Grosvenor.