World Molecular Imaging Congress
Abstract
Molecular imaging (MI) technologies are being used in multiple disciplines to transform our
understanding of biology and pathogenesis, to drive detection to earlier and earlier stages of disease
and refine therapies for nearly all human diseases. The field of MI represents a fusion of diverse
scientific fields, including instrumentation physics, molecular biology, medicine, engineering and
chemistry, and has a major impact on all areas of biomedicine. The World Molecular Imaging Society
(WMIS) embodies the field of MI as an organization dedicated to developing and promoting preclinical
and clinical imaging using all modalities that have the capability of providing cellular and molecular
information in living subjects. The tools and technologies supported by the WMIS, and featured at its
annual meeting called the World Molecular Imaging Congress (WMIC), are changing the fields of
oncology, infectious disease, neurology, cardiology, rheumatology, and endocrinology. A distinguishing
feature of the WMIS is the highly-integrated, multimodal nature of its program that begins with
scientific innovation and extends to patient care. As an international scientific educational organization,
active members of WMIS include basic and translational scientists, clinicians, young researchers and
students from a wide variety of disciplines, with a common goal of understanding human biology and
the critical cellular and molecular components of disease through in vivo imaging with quantitative
multimodality MI. As an annual event, the WMIC is the only comprehensive, international meeting in
the field of MI.
WMIS wishes to apply to National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a PA-13-347 Grant to support the next
generation of researchers in our field. Our purpose in this application is to obtain funds to support the
attendance of graduate students, postdoctoral and clinical fellows, junior women and minority faculty.
We hope to support 5 students and fellows and 5 junior women and minority faculty members through
these funds. Awards will be made based on the quality of the work (abstract score of three or higher)
for the graduate students and fellows. For the junior faculty travel awards made for stages at or below
assistant professor, quality of work as well as women and minority representation will be taken into
account. All awardees will be from U.S. institutions. The NIH awards will be actively advertised with very
clear guidelines on the WMIS and WMIC websites well in advance of the meeting. Abstract submitters
will be asked to identify themselves as potential candidates for the awards at the time of submission.
Additionally, they will be required to provide a letter from their institution confirming their eligibility to
apply.
