Middle Eastern Biology of Parasitism

MeBoP is a 2 week intensive course that will host a small select group of top candidates (12-16 grad-students, postdocs and young professionals) from Middle Eastern as well as North and Sub-Saharan African countries.
Each day will consist of a 4-hour morning lecture session followed by an afternoon lab practical. Lectures and modules are given by leading scientists in the field of parasite research (see program).

Main topics covered:
Biology of parasites
- Lecture component: focus on diseases endemic in the Middle Eastern region such as water born diseases and vector born disease.
molecular and cellular biology
host-parasite interactions
epidemiology and population genetics
transmission and life cycle
genome mining
- Practical modules: focus on the best established systems for molecular parasite research.

Course leader

Ibrahim Abbasi (Al-Quds University); Joanne Cono (CDC); Kirk Deitsch (Weill Cornell Medical College); Karine Frenal (University of Geneva); Omar S. Harb (Eukaryotic Pathogen Database Bioinformatic Resource Center); Volker Heussler (University of Bern);
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Target group

MeBoP is targeted towards graduate and postgraduate students, and early career academics or clinicians who plan a career in parasitology research. The course will provide practical instruction in cutting-edge research topics and methods, in addition to networking opportunities.

To be eligible the following criteria must be fullfilled at the date of application:
1. The applicant must hold at least a BSc or equivalent in a field relevant to the course (e.g. biology, biochemistry, medicine, veterinary medicine, public health or epidemiology).
2. The applicant must be a citizen of one of a country located in the Middle East or in North or Sub-Saharan Africa.


2018 course application deadline will be announced soon.

Course aim

1. To provide high-caliber scientific training covering various aspects of parasitology research from molecular biology and epidemiology to genomics. We believe that it is critical that scientific skills that are well established elsewhere in the world are disseminated to endemic areas where they can be put into practice to face local issues.

2. To provide an environment where young scientists from conflicted political areas are given the opportunity to focus on their mutual professional interests and goals, and to promote networking and the building of professional collaborations across these areas.

Fee info

CHF 0: The course is free and includes meals (suitable for all diets).

Scholarships

Some scholarships will be available for travel and accomodation. If you require a scholarship please attach a letter detailing your situation to your application.