2019 International Epilepsy Congress

Professional development events: 
(1)Status Epilepticus workshop (6/22/2019)
(2) Autoimmunity in Epilepsy workshop (6/24/2019)
(3) ILAE Career Developement sessions (6/23 - 6/25)
              (1) "How to write an effective abstract"
              (2) "How to choose an effective title and write a cover letter"
              (3) "How to navigate your career path in epilepsy"
Cost breakdown:
Registration - $507.91 (This includes all of the above workshops as well as general congress registration)
     https://www.epilepsycongress.org/iec/registration/
Hotel near conference center - $346.88 (June 22-25) 
     Conference center hotel link: https://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/centaragrand/cgcw/
     Hotel I booked: https://glowpratunam.reserve-online.net/
     I plan to stay in Bangkok longer than the above dates, and am only asking BEST to cover my hotel stay during the 
     time of the workshops I am attending.
Flight - $1084.13
     After watching flight prices for dates surrounding the conference for a few months, I booked a flight from New York to Bangkok for $1084.13. Prices at this point seem to all be above $1400 for flights on the exact dates I described above. 

I am planning to attend 33rd International Epilepsy Congress in Bangkok, Thailand this June. At this congress, I have registered for multiple professional development workshops including a workshop on understanding Status Epilepticus, a teaching workshop on Autoimmunity in Epilepsy, and multiple career development seminars aimed at young researchers. My research project focuses on the relationship of the gut microbiome and immunity, and how these systems play a role in Epilepsy. In the United States, infection is not the leading cause of epilepsy, but worldwide infection is the leading cause of epilepsy. It will be incredibly useful for me to not only have the opportunity to participate in a workshop directly related to my project, but also to connect with leading scientists in the field of immunity and epilepsy that I don’t have opportunities to connect with in the U.S.

Dr. Campbell is well published in the field of epilepsy. However, my project in her lab focuses on merging the fields of immunology and epilepsy, and our lab does not have many contacts in this interdisciplinary field. The ability to network with leading scientists and physicians who focus on interdisciplinary targets to treat epilepsy, such as Dr. Sarosh Irani and  Dr. Russell Dale, will greatly enhance my chances of success in developing collaborations and learning about career opportunities in my field. 

I believe that my attendance of this congress aligns well with the goals of VT-BEST to provide students with career development opportunities that are not covered by the trainee's research mentor. All the expenses that I am asking to be funded I am willing to pay out of pocket for, because I firmly believe that this opportunity will strengthen my skill sets in identifying status epilepticus (which is a large part of my research project) and understanding the latest research on autoimmunity in epilepsy, as well as general writing and career-knowledge.