This proposal requests sponsorship for the 14th International Kawasaki Disease Symposium (IKDS), which will
be held August 26-29, 2024, in Montreal, Canada. Kawasaki Disease (KD) is the most common cause of
acquired cardiovascular disease in childhood in the United States, and if not diagnosed and treated in a timely
fashion can lead to giant coronary aneurysms, myocardial infarction and even death. IKDS has been held
every 3 years since 1984 with the goal of bringing together clinicians caring for KD patients, scientists trying to
unravel this mysterious illness, and families affected with KD. With the pandemic, we were unable to hold an
in-person meeting for the 13th IKDS in 2021, which limited our ability to interact and collaborate on this global
disease. With nearly 6 years since the last in-person, we have an incredible opportunity to bring together KD
researchers, clinicians and families to accelerate the diagnosis and treatment of KD. IKDS will once again
disseminate the latest advances in KD research and clinical care, which in accordance with the NIH mission
will “enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability” of children with KD. Given that this is a
cardiovascular illness that affects children that likely have an infectious cause, and IKDS’ mission to turn
research observations into health solutions, it is fitting for NHLBI to be the primary institute supporting IKDS,
and NICHD, NIAID and NCATS as secondary institutes. The objectives of this application are to provide travel
support to 14 trainees (medical students/residents, graduate students and early stage investigators) with top
abstracts to present their work at the 14th IKDS and actively engage with senior investigators, to provide
funding for publication of these abstracts and meeting proceedings in a special edition of the Canadian Journal
of Cardiology, and to fund two world-renowned cardiovascular immunology speakers to advance this field for
KD. The Specific Aims of the 14th IKDS to achieve this objective are (1) Provide a forum to bring together basic
and clinical researchers, clinicians, epidemiologists, educators, public health officials and KD families to
discuss cutting-edge KD research as well as barriers to care in order to identify research needs and facilitate
cross-disciplinary collaborations to address them; (2) Provide an educational forum for trainees and early stage
investigators to interact with senior investigators, with an understanding that there is a critical need to cultivate
knowledgeable and enthusiastic new investigators; and (3) Recruit trainees and senior faculty from diverse
scientific, racial and ethnic backgrounds, focusing on underrepresented groups, to attend the 14th IKDS.
With a global collaborative spirit, IKDS will advance the science of KD and improve the lives of children with
KD worldwide.