Neuroinfectious Diseases Research Workshop: Advancing Translational Science and Clinical Innovation

June 04, 2026 | 7:00 - June 06, 2026 | 5:00
ET
Register Now

Overview

Illustration of brain cross-section with microbes representing neuroinfectious disease.

The Neuroinfectious Diseases Research Workshop will be a two-day scientific meeting designed to accelerate research, foster collaboration, and build capacity in the field of neurological infections. Hosted at the NIH Neuroscience Center in Rockville, this meeting will bring together clinician-scientists, laboratory investigators, translational researchers, government partners, and trainees committed to advancing understanding of neuroinfectious diseases through research.

Registration Link

Special Meeting Guests include:

  • Dr. Matthew J. Memoli (Principal Deputy Director, NIH)

  • Dr. Amy Adams (NINDS Acting Director)

  • Dr. Sonia Lee (Branch Chief, Maternal and Pediatric ID Branch, NICHD)

NIH Neuroscience Center (6001 Executive Blvd, Rockville, MD) — no venue cost; no registration fees.

In-person participation strongly encouraged, virtual available for main talks

Thursday, June 4 – Arrival and Welcome

7:00–9:00 PM
Opening networking reception (drinks and hors d'oeuvres), welcoming and plenary talks: 

  • Dr. Amy Adams (NINDS Acting Director) 

  • Dr. Kiran Thakur (Associate Professor of Neurology, Director, Program in Neuroinfectious Diseases, Columbia University Irving Medical Center) 

  • Dr. Avindra Nath,  (Senior Investigator, Section of Infections of the Nervous System, Clinical Director, NINDS) 

  • Dr. Kenneth Tyler (Chair, Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Medical Center) 

  • Dr. Karen Roos (Professor of Neurology, Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine)                                                                        

Friday, June 5

7:30 - 8:00 AM:  Breakfast

8:00 - 8:10 AM:  Welcoming Remarks and Overview

  • Dr. Avindra Nath, (Clinical Director, NINDS) and Dr. Kiran Thakur, M.D. (Associate Professor of Neurology, Director, Program in Neuroinfectious Diseases, Columbia University Irving Medical Center)

8:10 - 8:30 AM:  Welcoming Remarks and Overview

  • Special meeting guests
Morning session: Neurovirology
TimeSession
8:30-10:00 AM

JC and Polyoma Viruses 

Chair: Dr. Irene Cortese (Director, Experimental Immunotherapeutics Unit, NINDS)

Speakers: 

  • Dr. Sasha Gupta (Assistant Professor of Neurology, UCSF), Engineered VST for treatment of PML

  • Dr. Aron Lukacher (Professor, Department of Cell and Biological Systems and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, One Health Microbiome Center, Penn State Medical Center): Insights into role of antibody response in JCV pathophysiology and/or evaluation of potential for antiviral effect of IV Brincidofovir from MuPyV model; 

  • Dr. Angela Rocchi (Temple University Medical Center): Cerebral Organoid models for PML and use of CRISPR-based treatment strategies targeting Large T Antigen.

10:00–11:30 AM

Arboviruses 

Chair: Dr. Jim Sejvar (Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine) 

Speakers: 

  • Dr. William DeSouza (Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky School of Medicine): Transmission Dynamics of Emerging Arboviruses

  • Dr. Lyle Petersen (Director of the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases): Epidemic Arboviral Diseases

  • Dr. Emily Lee (Staff Scientist and Functional Group Lead, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH): Drug screening for neurotropic viruses

11:30–11:45 AMBreak
11:45–1:15 PM

Herpesviruses 

Chair: Dr. Arun Venkatesan (Professor of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University).  

Speakers: 

  • Dr. Jeffrey I. Cohen (Chief, Medical Virology Section, NIAID)

  • Dr. Shen-Ying Zhang (Associate Professor of Clinical Investigation, Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockerfeller University)

1:15–2:00 PMLunch
Afternoon Session: CNS Viral and Post-Viral Infections
TimeSession
2:00–3:30 PM

Enteroviruses 

Chair: Dr. Kevin Messacar (Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Medical Center)

Speakers: 

  • Dr. Hai Nguyen-Tran (Assistant Professor, University of Colorado) : Enterovirus Clinical and Epidemiology

  • Dr. Megan Freeman (Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh): Enterovirus Basic and Translational Science

  • Dr. Matt Vogt (Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill): Enterovirus Therapeutics and Prevention 

Panelists: 

  • Dr. Roberta DeBiasi MD (Professor, George Washington University)

  • Dr. Carolyn Coyne PhD (Professor, Duke University)

  • Dr. Mark Abzug MD (Professor, University of Colorado)

3:30–5:00 PM

Neuro-HIV 

Chairs: Dr. Felicia Chow (Professor of Neurology, UCSF) & Dr. Shibani Mukerji (Assosciate Professor of Neurology, Associate Director of the Neuro-infectious Diseases Unit)

Speakers: 

  • Dr. Shelli Farhadian (Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine and Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health), 

  • Dr. Beau Ances (Professor of Neurology, Radiology, and Biomedical Engineering, Washington University)

  • Dr. Sara Lodi (Associate Professor of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health and CAUSALab, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health): Target Trial Emulation for HIV research with Complex Observational Data

5:00–6:15 PM

Post Viral Syndromes 

Chair: Dr. Avindra Nath (Clinical Director, NINDS)

Speakers: 

  • Dr. Igor Koralnik (Chief of Neuro-infectious Disease and Global Neurology, Northwestern University): Pegivirus in Parkinson's Disease and other Neurologic Conditions

  • Dr. Jeane Billioux (Staff Clinician, International Infectious Disease Unit, Office of the Clinical Director, NINDS): Post-Ebola Neurological Conditions 

  • Dr. Brian Walitt (Staff Clinician, Post-Viral Syndrome and Gulf War Illness Studies, NINDS): Long-COVID

6:15–6:45 PM

Special Plenary:  Neurological Complications of Measles: Research Gaps and Opportunities

  • Dr. Carol Glaser, (Chief of the Encephalitis & Special Investigations Section, California Department of Public Health)
6:45–7:00 PMSummary Discussion and Brainstorming

Saturday, June 6

Morning Sessions
7:30–8:00 AMBreakfast
8:00–8:10 AM

Welcome by Workshop Chairs 

8:15–10:00 AM

Endemic Fungal Infections & Cryptococcal Meningitis 

Chair: Dr. David Boulware: (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical Center) 

Speakers:

  • Dr. Arturo Casadevall (Chair, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, Johns Hopkins University): Damage Response Framework; 

  • Dr. David Boulware: (Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine):  Customized Immunotherapy for Cryptococcal Meningitis: One size does not fit all

  • Dr. Manish Butte (Chair and Professor of Pediatrics and Division Chief of Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology at UCLA): Immunotherapy for Coccidioidal Meningitis (Remote); 

  • Dr. Christine Boutros (Department of Neurology, UCSF): Unbiased serological profiling reveals a compartment-specific antigen signature in coccidioidal meningitis

10:00–10:15 AMBreak
10:15–11:45 AM

Neurosyphilis

Dr. Shelli Farhadian (Associate Professor of Medicine in Infectious Diseases)

Speakers:

  • Dr. Caroline Cameron (Professor, Biochemistry and Microbiology, Univesity of Victoria)

  • Dr. Alex Greninger (Head, Division of Infectious Disease Diagnostics, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington)

  • Dr. Sumanth Reddy (Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco)

11:45 AM–1:00 PM

Panel Discussions

  • Research Preparedness for Emerging/Reemerging Infections (11:45 - 12:10 PM)
    • Dr. Carol Glaser
    • Dr.  Justin McArthur
    • Dr. Kevin Messacar
    • Dr. James Sevar
  • Guideline Development and Building Clinical Research Groups (12:10 - 12:35 PM)
    • Dr. David Clifford, 
    • Dr. Carlos Pardo
    • Dr. Shibani Mukerji
    • Dr. Kevin Messacar
    • Dr. Rodrigo Hasbun
  • Building a Research Consortium for Undiagnosed CNS infections (12:35 - 1:00 PM)
    • Dr. Christine Boutros
    • Dr.Arun Venkatesan
    • Dr. Felicia Chow
    • Dr. Ken Tyler
    • Dr. Michael Wilson
1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLunch
Afternoon Sessions
2:00 PM - 3:30PM

Tick Borne Neuroinfectious Diseases. 

Chair: Dr. Adriana Marques (Chief, Lyme Diseases Unit, NINDS)

Speakers:

  • Dr. John Halperin (Professor of Neurology and Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University):  Lyme Neuroborreliosi

  • Dr. Kyle Harrold (Neuroimmunologist, Brigham and Women's Hospital): Powassan Infection 

  • Dr. LIse Nigrovic (Senior Physician in Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital): Pediatric Lyme Neuroborreliosis

3:30 PM - 5:00PM

Cross-Cutting & Translational Topics

Speakers:

  • Dr. Caroline Cameron (Professor, Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria)

  • Dr. Lisa Henderson (Section of Infectious Diseases, NINDS, NIH): Antisense Gene therapies for CNS Infections 

  • Dr. Laura Jaeger (Associate Director, Clinical Outcomes Assessment Reviewer, Office of Drug Evaluation Science, Division of Clinical Outcome Assessments, FDA): Patient-Reported Outcomes and Neuro-ID Clinical Trials 

5:00 PM - 6:00PMNetworking and Study Development Workshops 
6:00 PM - 6:30PMNext Steps and Future Directions (Workshop Chairs)