2015 AASOG Meeting: Reducing Disparities in Sarcoidosis Through Personalized Care and Increased Detection

National Jewish Health, Denver CO

Investigators

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Americas Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders (AASOG) is a physician and physician-scientist led organization that is devoted to improving the pathogenesis and treatment of patients with sarcoidosis, a poorly understood disease that commonly afflicts underrepresented minorities. AASOG is a subsidiary of the World Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders (WASOG), which is based in Europe and was founded in 1987. AASOG has previously sponsored 6 annual national meetings, and the 7th annual meeting represents a departure from the previous AASOG events (and other forums relating to sarcoidosis) in that the program will have a specific theme, as reflected by the meeting title: Reducing Disparities in Sarcoidosis Through Personalized Care and Increased Detection. In this context, a large proportion of the invited participants are underrepresented minorities, and many of the attendees are junior faculty or trainees. The focus on underrepresented minorities extends beyond the invited participants in that the low registration fees will make this meeting highly accessible to underrepresented minorities. Trainee participation in the meeting will be further encouraged by waiving registration fees and providing travel awards to 5 students/junior investigators based upon the quality of their research presentations. Furthermore, the highly interactive scientific environment and engagement with well-established research scientists will be conducive to their career development. This meeting will thereby encourage and promote the development of new scientists dedicated to the advancement of sarcoidosis research and treatment and encourage further collaboration among researchers to advance our knowledge of sarcoidosis. Thus, the 2015 AASOG meeting will support a variety of activities that are directly relevant to the scientifi missions of the National Institutes of Health and public health.