US-South American Workshop in Neuroendocrinology

Henry M Jackson Fdn For Advmt Of Military Medicine, Bethesda MD

Investigators

Abstract

This U.S.-Latin America award will support a workshop to promote international scientific collaboration in neuroendocrinology between researchers from South America and the United States. The workshop will be held in August 2011 in Viña del Mar, Chile, prior to the Society for Reproduction conference. The primary goal of the workshop is to further develop collaborations on the molecular mechanisms of steroid hormone regulation and neuronal activity between researchers from the United States, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The organizers are specifically interested in gaining a better understanding of the neuroplastic changes in the brain during development and adulthood in response to changing hormonal and environmental conditions. Additionally, this international forum will identify future directions that this currently burgeoning field should take. The workshop will be organized by Dr. Tao-Yiao J. Wu from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine in collaboration with Dr. Hernan Lara from Universidad de Chile, Dr. Carmen Romero from the Hospital Clinico Universidad de Chile, and Dr. Aldo Lucien from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. The workshop will bring together a diverse community of researchers and graduate students from the United States, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay and provide unique opportunities for this community to initiate long-term collaborations. There are a number of neuroendocrinologists in Latin American countries who have made significant contributions to the field, but their interactions with U.S. researchers have not been extensive. Furthermore, it will provide an international research experience to 11 U.S young investigators, 4 graduate students and 7 junior researchers. A young investigators' poster session at the workshop is planned for U.S. and South American participants. This workshop is supported by the Americas Program of the Office of International Science and the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS), Neural Systems Cluster of the Directorate of Biological Sciences.