Updates on 2nd International Blastocystis Conference

Three months until kick-off of 2nd International Blastocystis Conference in Bogotá!

A couple of updates:

• Abstract submission deadline has been postponed to 15th of August 2018. 
• We have had a couple of speaker cancellations. Drs Pauline Scanland and Katerina Pomajbikova will not be able to participate. Hopefully, we'll be blessed by their presence at the next big Blasto event. Instead, Drs Raul Tito-Tadeo and Hisao Yoshikawa have very kindly accepted to give keynote lectures and lead workshop sessions. And so we will still have a great event!

For more information on workshop and conference, please visit the official conference website here.

Since it's summer here in Europe, and since I love Phlox, I thought, I'd attach a couple of images that I received yesterday from my dear friend Jaco Verweij.

Updates on 2nd International Blastocystis Conference in Bogotá!

Hi everyone,

There's only little more than three months before the kick-off of our 2nd International Blastocystis Conference! And as in the case of our 1st conference in Ankara in 2015, participants are in for a real treat! I simply don't know where to begin... !

Well, for starters, here's the hotel in which the conference will take place (11–12 October). It's the Hotel Estelar La Fonata in Bogotá! I think it looks amazing!

Prior to the very conference (9–10 October), there will be a two-day workshop at Universidad del Rosario - Quinta De Mutis.

Please go to the conference website and find more information: http://www.urosario.edu.co/Blastocystis/en/home/

The line-up of faculty members is impressive; again, please visit website to update yourself with workshop leaders and keynote speakers.

We will be dealing with anything from diagnostics to genomics, from epidemiology to cell biology, from experimental models to phylogenetics!

There will be plenty of Colombian coffee to sample and you might also with to sign up for the gala dinner!

So, don't miss out on the opportunity to put yourself into the very epicentre of Blastocystis research and experience the dynamic city of Bogotá!

Importantly, the deadline for abstract submission is 1st of July, so please everyone: Get your act together - submit your abstract today and support us with your presence and your enthusiasm with regard to the most common parasite in the human gut: Blastocystis!

SEE YOU THERE!!!

It's official - The 2nd International Blastocystis Conference!

It's been a while, but I hope the wait has been worth the while!

On behalf of the organisers, who currently include Juan-David Ramírez, Funda Dogruman-Al, and myself, we would now like to announce the dates, venue, and speakers for the 2nd International Blastocystis Conference! Feel free to be mesmerised!

Juan-David Ramírez just sent me the 'teaser' below - and this blog is an obvious place to share it.
We are very happy that so many "heavy Blastocystis researchers" have accepted our invitation to participate! However, we already now know that we will be missing some very important ones. Well, you can't have it all, and we're absolutely sure that the event will be a BLAST(ocystis)!

There will be a two-day workshop (9th–10th of October) followed by a two-day conference (11th–12th of October). On the Friday, the 13th of October, it will be possible to participate in a one-day sightseeing event in Bogotá.

So, if you haven't done it already, make sure that you sign up for notifications from the Blastocystis Parasite Blog (here or on Facebook) in order to keep up with the latest information on abstract submission deadlines, programme, practicalities, travel grants, etc.

We are also on the lookout for sponsors, so if you have any suggestions, please contact me.

We are looking very much forward to seeing you in Bogotá in 2018!