March 18, 2011 See Schedule of Events
/table>DAVIS---The annual World Malaria Day observance on the University of California, Davis, campus will be a daylong retreat showcasing UC Davis scientists’ current research in vector biology and genetics.
The event, free and open to the public, will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, April 25 in Room 1102 of the Gourley Clinical Teaching Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, on Garrod Drive. See schedule of events.
Postdoctoral researchers Becky Trout and Michelle Sanford are organizing the event, and issued this statement: “Malaria remains one of the most deadly vectorborne diseases in the world. Worldwide programs continue to rely on control programs based on the most recent research available. In honor of the Roll Back Malaria Program, promoting the education and research in the fight against malaria, student and researchers at UC Davis engaged in vector biology and genetics will come together to discuss their research efforts.”
The deadline to submit the form to participate is Thursday, March 31. Participants will be asked for the title of their submission, authors and affiliations, brief abstract, length of presentation. Those affiliated with the National Institutes of Health T32 training grant in the biology of disease vectors are required to present their research, as stated in the grant.
During the breaks and during lunch, there will be a photo slide show of research experiences.
Attendees who are not presenting but plan to stay for lunch must also register. For more information on participating, contact Becky Trout (rttrout@ucdavis.edu) or Michelle Sanford (mrsanford@ucdavis.edu).
Members of the UC Davis community participating in vectorborne disease research are encouraged to participate, regardless of their study system, said Sanford.
Malaria researchers associated with the UC Davis Department of Entomology include graduate student advisors Anthony “Anton” Cornel, associate professor, Department of Entomology; Shirley Luckhart, professor, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, UC Davis School of Medicine; and Gregory Lanzaro, professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine.
This year's World Malaria Day theme is "Achieving Progress and Impact."
From World Health Organization:
Approximately half of the world's population is at risk of malaria, particularly those living in lower-income countries. It infects more than 500 million people per year and kills more than 1 million. The burden of malaria is heaviest in sub-Saharan Africa but the disease also afflicts Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and even parts of Europe.World Malaria Day--which was instituted by the World Health Assembly at its 60th session in May 2007-- is a day for recognizing the global effort to provide effective control of malaria. It is an opportunity:
- for countries in the affected regions to learn from each other's experiences and support each other's efforts;
- for new donors to join a global partnership against malaria;
- for research and academic institutions to flag their scientific advances to both experts and general public; and
- for international partners, companies and foundations to showcase their efforts and reflect on how to scale up what has worked.
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894