#Conferences

We know that quarantine was the perfect period for catching up with the latest Netflix series. Having this in mind, we have prepared an amazing opportunity for you to meet Dr. Syra Madad, a popular American pathogen preparedness expert and infectious disease epidemiologist who is featured in the Netflix series “Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak” as herself. Currently, she is holding the position of Senior Director of the System-wide Special Pathogens Programs at NYC Health + Hospitals. Her activity ensures that the municipal healthcare system of New York City is alert during epidemic outbreaks, by undergoing simulations beforehand and developing, testing and training on infectious disease plans and processes. Over the years, she has helped in the oversight of several outbreaks, such as Ebola virus disease, Zika fever and more recently COVID-19, being part of the COVID-19 Expert Taskforce of the Federation of American Scientists. ”Fortune” magazine listed her as one of the “40 Under 40” influential people in healthcare, as she contributes to the benefit of public health with her sustained effort to educate the public on respecting safety precautions during pandemics. Dr. Syra Madad is also the Team Lead of the Exercise Resource Team of the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center, Principal Investigator of the Institute for Diseases and Disaster Management and Fellow in the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

Having this outstanding portfolio of achievements, we are honoured that Dr. Madad will hold a conference entitled “From Ebola to COVID19: Healthcare System Epidemic Preparedness & Response''.

It is known that the impact of COVID-19 over the world exceeds any other epidemic outbreak of the modern era, triggering the worst public health crisis of this century. Dr. Syra Madad operates in New York City, the first COVID-19 epicentre in the US, which experienced a tsunami of cases.
This presentation will address the importance of bio-preparedness, and the response efforts and challenges faced in a healthcare system moving from conventional capacity to crisis capacity as it relates to staffing, supplies, space and overall system from an emergency management perspective. Recommendations on changes that need to be made to improve biological preparedness across the national healthcare infrastructure will also be discussed.

Decades of genetic and nutrition studies in Dr. Longo’s laboratory have resulted in the identification and understanding of strategies for activating high protection, but also in repairment and regeneration of the systems aimed towards preventing and treating diseases.

Discoveries to be pointed out include: reduction of cancer and diabetes rates in both mice and humans by genetic mutations, prevention of major diseases in monkeys and modulation of risk factors in humans by chronic dietary restriction (CDR). Other points that will be discussed during the conference will be the proven impact of CDR lean on improving body mass, immunity, enhanced wound healing and possibly regeneration with decreased side effects and disease risk factors by Fasting Mimicking Diets (FMDs).

Join us for his exclusive IMSCB Conference, if you cannot wait to discover the practical meaning of these results and to see how FMDs could improve health and prevent a variety of age-related diseases. Our event will provide a sneak-peek of the ongoing and future clinical trials, aimed to determine which diseases could be effectively treated by FMDs.

During this conference, we guarantee that all our participants will be acquainted with the genetics of ageing, gain insight into the effects of calorie restriction on diseases, assimilate information about the effects of FMDs on diseases in mice and learn about the effects of FMDs on disease prevention in humans

Have we sparked your interest yet?

An alumnus of Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Dr. Ivan sensed from his very first year as a medical student that his passion was directed towards the academic field. His prolific career includes a PhD Diploma at Cardiff University and postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 2001 Dr. Ivan published his discovery of key oxygen-sensing enzymes in the article “HIFalpha targeted for VHL-mediated destruction by proline hydroxylation: implications for O2 sensing”, which was mentioned as crucial for the research rewarded with last year’s Nobel Prize.

At the moment, Dr. Ivan is involved in further research projects targeting specific molecular responses to hypoxia and he is a persistent supporter of young scientists.

During Dr. Ivan’s conference we will embark on a continuous journey of extensive research, spanning over two decades, and get a glimpse inside the mind of a world-renowned academic. The presentation provides a personal account of a life dedicated to exploring the universe of knowledge, beginning with the discovery of oxygen sensing enzymes, followed by more recent identification of hypoxia-regulated noncoding RNAs. Furthermore, Dr. Ivan will highlight the consequences of cellular oxygen sensing blockade and will introduce a new class of drugs effective against chronic kidney disease (CKD) anemia.

Whether you are interested in delving into the field of clinical or fundamental research, or want to gather information about the latest discoveries in medicine, this conference will suit you perfectly. We encourage you to learn from Dr. Ivan’s vast experience, shedding light onto a compelling topic.

Being an unusual theme, there aren't many medical scientists that welcome and adopt this topic. Those who choose this path must be extremely dedicated and able to keep an open view of the boundaries of medicine. Dr. Adrian Macovei is one of those exceptional individuals that has devoted his life to studying outer-space human activity and especially its medical aspects. Dr. Adrian Macovei graduated from “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and now he has a medical degree in family medicine. Currently he works at the National Institute of Aerospace Medicine Bucharest.

This conference’s main goal is to make students acquainted with the idea of outer-space medicine and its actual problems. In the introduction, we will be discussing some definitions of space activity, available techniques, and a short history of key moments in space exploration.

What happens to your body in space? NASA's Human Research Program has been trying to solve this mystery for over a decade. Without family and friends, in zero gravity, exposed to radiation, a diet high in freeze-dried foods will increase a human's risk for cancer and other diseases like malnutrition. Dr. Adrian Macovei will be presenting the Physiology of outer-space condition, the changes that occur when exiting the atmosphere and the gravitational field, changes in body weight, blood circulation, radiation levels, and the day-night cycle as well as some microbiology aspects.

In the next section, we will examine the pathological factors and types of diseases that can manifest in outer-space. Here at the IMSCB, we try to reach beyond limits of understanding and common knowledge and we keep an open window for the next steps in the history of not only medicine, but humanity itself. In this segment, we will be questioning the plans that NASA and other space-exploring units exposed like the Lunar Base, Asteroid Exploration, Journey to Mars.

In the final section of this conference, we will be taking a look at everything discussed previously but strictly from the students' perspective and we will conclude which information is necessary for a medical student.

Jacob Glanville is an American entrepreneur, inventor and computational immuno-engineer. As a Berkeley graduate, he showed a lot of interest in Genetics and Immunology, which led to him becoming Co-Founder, CEO and President of Distributed Bio - a company that explores computationally-guided immune-engineering methods to enable future discoveries regarding monoclonal antibodies and universal vaccine design. Among many imposing titles, such as being a Stanford University Scientific Advisory Committee member, a National Institute of Health Principal Investigator with an SBIR award for universal antivenom program, he was also featured in the Netflix documentary series “Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak”.

Dr. Glanville’s presentation will tackle a topic that prevails frequently both in academic debates and popular media: the elusive universal vaccine against the novel coronavirus. Is it even possible to create one? What methods are used and how do they work? During this brand-new conference, Dr. Glanville will aim to respond to these questions and further explain the bioengineering methods designed to create broad-spectrum COVID-19 vaccines, as well as cost-efficient and scalable antibody therapies.

The presentation will include a comprehensive description on these methods and how they can be used to adapt the antibodies targeted against the SARS-CoV to the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, Dr. Glanville will track the studies conducted in a network of five independent laboratories and their results regarding the therapy and the prophylaxis against the wildtype virus or the pseudovirus in animal models. Another key point covered in this talk is the use of small fragments of antibodies (Fv and Fc) in bioengineering to obtain better results in terms of efficiency and safety: a longer biological half-life, a lower risk of adverse events. Last but not least, there will be a deliberation on the future of biological engineering, the challenges of manufacturing this type of vaccine and why scientists believe it is possible.

What can we do when we have to deal with a health emergency or a natural disaster? What challenges do we need to overcome? Guidance, protection and prevention might be the perfect 3 key-words when it comes to emergency preparedness.

Assoc. Prof. Ronald St. John, MD, MPH, was the first Director-General of the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Public Health Agency of Canada. He is a physician who holds degrees from Yale University, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Harvard University School of Public Health. Prior to retirement in 2007, his public health career included assignments at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pan American Health Organization (Regional Office of the World Health Organization) and the Canadian Department of Health. His work in public health focused on infectious disease control and the management of small and large epidemics. Since retirement, he has continued to consult with the World Health Organization and co-Founded Sitata, an internet-based company dedicated to helping travellers stay safe and healthy wherever they travel. Other assignments included work as a Peace Corps physician in Bolivia and Peace Corps public health planning and programming for the Philippines. From 1989 to 1992 he was Deputy Director of the National HIV/AIDS Program Office in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Keeping in mind that any emergency can have vital and unexpected consequences, this conference is the perfect scenario for challenges faced in emerging infectious diseases, or in natural disasters. We all know the significance of being exceedingly aware of situations that pose substantial risks, but how do we manage people, resources, information and time? First things first, let's find out together what stands behind The Incident Management System (IMS) and all the essential elements. Are you ready to dive into a new kind of conference?