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More than 120 researchers attend the BWH Biomedical Research Institute’s second interdisciplinary research workshop Oct. 18.
Learning how inflammation plays a role in the reproduction cycle is key to the research Raina Fichorova, MD, PhD, is conducting in the Laboratory of Genital Tract Biology in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology.
But the amount of time it would have taken her to compile a list of BWH researchers involved in similar work would have been enormous, and that doesn’t account for hearing about each of their projects, findings and challenges.
Last week, Fichorova got some help from the BWH Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), which hosted its second interdisciplinary research workshop, designed to bring BWH researchers from multiple research areas together and provide a way for them to showcase their expertise, interest and research on a particular theme. More than 120 researchers attended “Inflammation: Shared Mechanism of Disease” Oct. 18 at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center Rotunda.
“Having all of these researchers in the same room, talking, sharing and being excited about this topic can really change how you approach your work,” said Fichorova.
Last week’s workshop consisted of 15-minute presentations by experts in multiple areas of inflammation. Andrew Lichtman, MD, PhD, of the Department of Pathology, was one of those speakers. He was also part of the committee that put the program together.
“We heard very positive feedback after the workshop. The topic of inflammation is widely appreciated by almost everyone in medicine and is a component of many diseases,” said Lichtman, who opened the event with welcoming remarks and presented a talk on immune responses in atherosclerosis.
After two successful workshops in 2010, the BRI is already planning a third that will build on this year’s success.
“What I like about these gatherings is that no matter what type of research you’re doing, the discussions touch on something that you’re working on or shows you a way that someone else is doing it,” said Trevor Sigger, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow in the Division of Genetics in the Department of Medicine, who also attended the first BRI workshop on the study of Vitamin D, held earlier this year.