Events

    IIZD Symposia

    IIZD hosts an annual symposium that brings together scientists, clinicians, veterinarians, and public health experts to exchange ideas on the emergence, spread, and control of infectious and zoonotic diseases.

    2026 IIZD Symposium | Robert R. Marshak Keynote Lecture

    We are honored to welcome Anthony Fauci, MD, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (1984–2022) and Chief Medical Advisor to the President (2021–2022), as the Robert R. Marshak Keynote Speaker for Penn Vet’s 2026 IIZD Symposium.

    HIV/AIDS: Science, Policy, and a Personal 44-Year Journey

    The lecture will be introduced by Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine and recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

    March 18, 2026 | 4:00 – 5:00 PM | Penn Museum Harrison Auditorium

    Join the Waitlist | Marshak Keynote
    Headshot of Anthony Fauci

    Anthony Fauci, MD

    2026 IIZD Symposium | Scientific Program

    Join us for Penn Vet’s 2026 IIZD Symposium. Our full-day scientific program will bring together researchers from across the country to discuss the emergence, spread, and control of infectious and zoonotic diseases.

    Confirmed Speakers

    • Trevor Bedford, PhD
      Fred Hutch Cancer Center
      Fitness flux in SARS-CoV-2 and influenza H3N2
    • Nita Bharti, PhD
      Pennsylvania State University
      The route of the problem: human mobility and disease ecology
    • Adam Lauring, MD, PhD
      University of Michigan
      Constraints on the evolution of new viral variants
    • Joe Pedra, PhD
      University of Maryland
      An epidermal signaling circuit orchestrating neuroimmune circuits at the skin barrier
    • Víctor Torres, PhD
      St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
      Mechanistic insights into the tug-of-war of Staphylococcus aureus pathobiology
    • Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, MD, PhD
      Columbia University
      Within-host evolution of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

    March 19, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM | Hill Pavilion

    Submit your abstracts here by March 6, 2026.

    The agenda is available here.

    Register | Scientific Program

    Robert R. Marshak Keynote Lecture

    Keynote speaker Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, of Baylor College of Medicine, delivered the Marshak Public Lecture on March 19, 2025. His talk, Vaccines and Immunizations in a Time of Global Boiling and Anti-Science, set the stage for the symposium.

    The lecture was moderated by Michael Mann, PhD, Penn’s Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action. Mann and Hotez are co-authors of Science Under Siege, released in September 2025.

    The public lecture was co-hosted by Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center.

    Scientific Program

    Distinguished experts from across the country showcased their latest breakthroughs in zoonotic disease research during the scientific program on March 20, 2025.

    Invited speakers included:

    • Christine Johnson, VMD, MPVM, PhD
      UC Davis
      On the frontlines: surveillance for emerging infectious diseases
    • Marc Johnson, PhD
      University of Missouri
      Flush with data: using wastewater surveillance to monitor expected and unexpected pathogens
    • Erin Mordecai, PhD
      Stanford University
      More than warming: climate change is transforming the landscape of vector-borne diseases
    • Salvador Almagro Moreno, PhD
      St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
      Emergence and evolution of bacterial pathogens: deciphering a complex phenomenon
    • Bill Petri, MD, PhD
      University of Virginia
      Immunologic mechanisms of FMT for recurrent C. difficile infection
    • Jürgen Richt, DVM, PhD
      Kansas State University
      Experimental infection of livestock with bovine H5N1
    • Mark Wilber, PhD
      University of Tennessee
      Challenges and opportunities when identifying pathogen reservoirs in wildlife communities

    Also featured were talks by the 2024 Martin and Pamela Winter Infectious Disease Fellows:

    • Raegan Petch
      Bates Lab
      Mutations that positively affect bandavirus glycoprotein function on VSV
    • Daana Roach
      Hamilton Lab
      LCN2 Contributes to an altered secretory environment in the intestinal epithelium in Crohn’s disease
    • Helen Stillwater
      Weiss Lab
      Clade C MERS coronaviruses circulating in northern Africa differentially activate the innate immune response
    Peter Jay Hotez

    Peter Jay Hotez, MD, PhD

    Global Parasitology Seminar Series

    IIZD hosts the Global Parasitology Seminar Series, which brings together speakers and audiences from around the world to share the latest research in parasitology, immunology, and molecular biology.

    Seminars are open to all and are held in a hybrid format on select Mondays at 12:00 PM ET.

    List of Dates and Speakers

    View Calendar

    Email Nicole Hurd to be added to the announcement list.

    Global parasitology image

    Parasitology Research in Progress (P-RIP) Series

    Parasitology Research in Progress (P-RIP) is a parasite biology forum where students, postdocs, and staff present their research and receive feedback in an informal and comfortable space. 

    P-RIP provides an opportunity for trainees to present ongoing work in a relaxed atmosphere and to strengthen connections in the parasitology community across campus and the greater Philadelphia area.

    The P-RIP series is held monthly on Wednesdays at 4:00 PM in Hill 301 and features two presenters.

    Parasitology RIP

    P-RIP Series 2025-2026 Dates

    • October 15, 2025
    • November 12, 2025
    • December 10, 2025
    • January 14, 2026
    • February 11, 2026
    • March 11, 2026
    • April 15, 2026
    • May 13, 2026