2019 COBRE MINI-SYMPOSIUM

Date/Time: 20 March 2019, 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Speaker: Diane E. Griffin, M.D., Ph.D. (1), David A. Relman, M.D. (2), Edward G. Ruby, Ph.D. (3), Eric Rasmussen, M.D. (4)
Speaker Affiliation: (1) Johns Hopkins University, (2) Stanford University, (3) University of Hawaii, (4) Infinitum Humanitarian Systems
Venue: John A. Burns School of Medicine, Medical Education Building Auditorium (Room 315)

For more info: Cori Watanabe 808 692-1654
Description: (1) “Measles in the 21st Century”: Measles remains an important cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in developed and developing countries, despite the availability of a safe and effective live attenuated measles vaccine. Barriers to vaccination include: lack of political will; logistical difficulties of vaccine delivery; and unfounded fears of diseases caused by vaccines.

(2) “Unrest at Home: Diversity and Disturbance in Mammalian Microbiomes”: We have undertaken longitudinal studies in humans with the goals of describing the temporal dynamics of the microbiome and of identifying features associated with stability in the face of disturbances or changes in the environment. A predictive understanding of the human microbiome will inform effective strategies to prevent and/or mitigate disease.

(3) “Microbial and Host Behaviors Underlie Colonization Success”: The association between the bacterium Vibrio fischeri and the light-organ of the sepiolid squid, Euprymna scolopes, provides a model system to gain insights into mechanisms by which beneficial bacteria optimize tissue colonization. Bacterial behaviors (such as aggregation, chemotaxis and flagellar motility) have evolved, in coordination with host responses, to promote specificity, mutualistic activity and population stability.

(4) “Critical Informatics in a Complex Humanitarian Emergency: Assessing Puerto Rico after Maria”: After recent deployments to Supertyphoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the Kathmandu earthquake in Nepal, Hurricane Odile in Mexico, and Hurricane Mathew in Haiti, the Global Disaster Response Team for the Roddenberry Foundation concluded that gaps in assessment and shortfalls in resource allocation could be mitigated by developing free and open-source apps designed to guide the reporting of damage to streamline care and accelerate recovery.
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