Volume 23, No. 3 - September 1998            Published by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) held the First Annual Conference on Vaccine Research May 30 to June 1, 1998. The conference was jointly sponsored by NFID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health, and the International Society for Vaccines (ISV).

Over 250 participants were present in Washington, DC, to hear about and discuss the latest vaccine-related scientific data, results, and issues. Information was presented in symposia and panel discussions drawing from a pool of invited internationally-renowned experts. Participants were also exposed to the latest research through more than 45 submitted oral and poster presentations. Abstracts of the conference presentations are available on NFIDĚs web site http://www.nfid.org.

The conference, which offered 16 continuing medical education (CME) credits, was conceived as a forum encompassing the basic science, product development, and clinical and field study aspects of vaccine research. By providing one forum for data and knowledge from the diverse disciplines of vaccinology, the goal was to encourage communication among vaccine researchers and developers, public health officials, and medical personnel who administer vaccines.

The conference met its goal, in part, by attracting an audience representing a broad spectrum of specialties including infectious diseases, immunology, pediatrics, microbiology, and virology. Participants came from all levels of government, industry, academia. One-quarter of the attendees were from outside the United States, representing twenty countries.

"Many elements of this conference, from the quality and quantity of submitted abstracts to the geographic and professional diversity of the participants, exceeded my expectations," said NFID Senior Executive Director William J. Martone, MD. "We have a solid framework and a number of thoughtful suggestions on which to build a uniquely relevant annual conference, and the joint sponsors are enthusiastic about the possibilities and the challenges of doing so".

Planning is already underway for the Second Annual Conference on Vaccine Research, to be held March 28-30, 1999 at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda in Bethesda, Maryland.

Peter L. Nara, DVM, PhD, president, ISV, N. Regina Rabinovich, MD, chief, Clinical Studies Section, Clinical and Regulatory Affairs Branch, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, NIAID, Bruce G. Weniger, MD, assistant chief for vaccine development, Vaccine Safety and Development Activity, National Immunization Program, CDC, and Dr. Martone are the conference co-chairs.

The conference was supported, in part, by unrestricted educational grants from Aviron, Becton Dickinson and Company, Merck Vaccine Division, Pasteur Merieux Connaught, SmithKline Beecham, and Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines & Pediatrics.

If you would like to be placed on the mailing list to receive the Conference Announcement and Call for Abstracts for the Second Annual Conference on Vaccine Research, send your name, address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address to: NFID/VRC, 4733 Bethesda Avenue, Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20814, fax (301) 907-0878, or e-mail kkantelo@aol.com

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