Woods Hole Immunoparasitology Meeting (WHIP)

Subscribe to our email list

ANNOUNCING WHIP 2024: APRIL 21 - 24, 2024

Keynote Speakers

Patrick Duff

NIH Pathogenesis and Immunity Section

Richard Grenecis

The University of Manchester

Tajie Harris

University of Virginia

WHIP 2022 Highlights

Keynote talks: There were three outstanding keynote talks. Dr. Tania Watts (University of
Toronto) discussed myeloid cell responses to inflammation. Dr. Boris Striepen (University of
Pennsylvania) provided outstanding new data the genetics of and host response to
Cryptosporidium parasites. Dr. Keke Fairfax (University of Utah) described her work on the role
of helminth infection at the maternal-fetal interface and how type 2 immunity impacts metabolism.

Career development panel: Dr. P'ng Loke (NIH), Dr. Keke Fairfax (University of Utah), Dr. Tiffany Reese (UT Southwestern) oversaw conversations with graduate students and postdocs focused on career-stage appropriate development.

Sponsorship: Generous support for the meeting was provided by the American Association of
Immunologists (AAI), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), the
American Society for Hygeine and Tropical Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania,the
International Cytokine and Interferon Society (ICIS), and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF).

BWF

BWF sponsored 13 travel awards, 3 virtual talk awards, 3 virtual poster presentation awards, and
2 virtual poster lightning talk awards.

AAI3 — BWF Travel Award Recipients: John Ponessa (student) – Rutgers University: Investigating the contributions of hematopoietic progenitor cells to antihelminth immunity and host protection. Romaniya Zayats (student) – University of Manitoba: Cellular dynamics of immune evasion during Leishmania major infection. Alison Stanbery (postdoc) – University of Washington: Th2 cells integrate into the tuft-ILC2 circuit to provide protective immunity to helminth infection. Jianya Peng (student) – Rutgers University: Monocytes maintain central nervous system homeostasis following helminth-induced inflammation. Douglas Cornwall (postdoc) – University of Utah: Elucidating the Immunological Underpinnings of Asymptomatic Malaria. Edward Vizcarra (student) – UC Riverside: Understanding the effects of glutamate on mGluR+ CD8 T cells recruited to the T. gondii infected brain. Julia Alvarez (student) – UC Merced: Sugar modifications to the GPI regulate Toxoplasma gondii virulence. Camila Amorim (postdoc) – University of Pennsylvania: The skin microbiome enhances transcriptional inflammatory signatures and delays clinical resolution in cutaneous leishmaniasis Ryan Pardy (Postdoc) – University of Pennsylvania: The role of interferon-gamma in resistance to Cryptosporidium infection. Juan Sanchez-Arcila (postdoc) – UC Merced: The Collaborative Cross reveals a single locus required for protective immunity against highly virulent Toxoplasma gondii strains. Stephanie Matsuno (student) – UC Irvine: The inflammatory role of caspase-8 during T. gondii infection of human monocytes. Nina Howard (Post-bac) – NIAID: Single cell RNA sequencing exploration of the effect of genetics and environment on immune composition and responsiveness in rewilded mice. Erin Fowler (student) – The Ohio State University: Hypoxia promotes cytolytic activity of CD8 T cells and pathogenesis in cutaneous Leishmaniasis.

ICIS Travel Award

AAI 5 — Breanne Haskins (student) – University of Pennsylvania: CD8+ T cells provide protection during Cryptosporidium Infection. Michael Kovacs (student) – University of Virginia: Meningeal lymphatic drainage promotes T cell responses against Toxoplasma gondii but is dispensable for parasite control in the brain.

AAI

AAI generously supported 3 in-person talk awards, 3 in-person poster presentation awards, and
2 in-person poster lightning talk awards.

AAI In-person Oral Presentation Award Recipients:
First Prize: Ryan Pardy (Postdoc) – University of Pennsylvania: The role of interferon-gamma
in resistance to Cryptosporidium infection.
Second Prize: Julia Alvarez (student) – UC Merced: Sugar modifications to the GPI regulate
Toxoplasma gondii virulence.
Third Prize: Edward Vizcarra (student) – UC Riverside: Understanding the effects of glutamate
on mGluR+ CD8 T cells recruited to the T. gondii infected brain.

AAI In-person Poster Presentation Award Recipients:
First Prize: Oyebola Oyesola (postdoc) – NIH/NIAID: Effect of genetics and environment on
immune composition and responsiveness in rewilded mice
Second Prize: Zachary Lanzar (student) – University of Pennsylvania: Impact of toxoplasma
gondii-induced crash on Treg homeostasis
Third Prize: Annabel Ferguson (student) – University of Pennsylvania: Hookworm adaptation
to Type 2 immune responses

AAI In-person Poster Lightning Talk Award Recipients:
Stephanie Orchanian (student) – UC Irvine: Deficiency in astrocyte CCL2 production reduces
immune cell infiltration and host defense in the CNS during chronic, but not acute, Toxoplasma
gondii infection.
Hannah Federman (student) – Rutgers University: Investigating the role of serotonin 2C in
regulating helminth-induced inflammation.