20th Biennial International Conference on Lung and Airway Fibrosis (ICLAF) - PROJECT SUMMARY
The Organizing Committee of the International Colloquium on Lung and Airway Fibrosis (ICLAF) is requesting
support for its 2018 meeting to be held October 14-18, 2018, at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific
Grove, California. The primary objective of this grant application is to enable junior scientists and scientists
from groups traditionally underrepresented in science to participate in ICLAF 2018 through financial assistance
and targeted outreach.
ICLAF is a biennial scientific meeting dedicated to the science of lung fibrosis. Now in its 20th iteration, ICLAF
2018 will bring together scientists from clinical, translational and basic backgrounds to discuss original
research, identify critical gaps in knowledge, and develop collaborative relationships and future research
opportunities. Every effort will be made to attract a diverse group of attendees, with particular attention to junior
investigators and investigators who are traditionally underrepresented in science. We believe events like
ICLAF 2018 are essential to catalyzing scientific progress and discovery. Asilomar is a unique conference
venue – known as the Monterey Peninsula's “Refuge by the Sea”, it is a 107-acre state beach and conference
center that provides conference attendees with a retreat-like atmosphere conducive to scientific discussion and
innovation.
Insuring appropriate representation of groups traditionally underrepresented in science is a central priority of
ICLAF 2018 and the primary objective behind this grant application. The majority of the ICLAF 2018 Organizing
Committee (4 of 7) and nearly half of the overall conference leadership (20 of 46) consists of women and
members of groups traditionally underrepresented in science. ICLAF 2018 is also committed to involving junior
scientists in the leadership and content of the conference, with two junior scientists included on the Organizing
Committee. ICLAF 2018 will feature eight scientific sessions, with each session consisting of two 30-minute
“invited lectures” and two 15-minute original research presentations. It will also feature original research
posters, a junior investigator forum for presentation of research by trainees, and small group discussions
identifying future priorities and challenges for our scientific community. ICLAF 2018 will aim to publish its
proceedings in a major academic journal to allow the larger lung fibrosis community to review and comment on
our presentations and discussions.