Catalytic Events

NIH Artificial Intelligence Symposium

• Friday, May 16
• NIH Bethesda Main Campus, Bldg. 10, Masur Auditorium
• Register via NIH Artificial Intelligence Symposium 2025 Registration and Abstract Submission

This one-day, in-person NIH AI Symposium will bring together researchers from a broad range of disciplines to share their AI-related research, with the goal of disseminating the newest AI research, providing an opportunity to network, and to cross-pollinate ideas across disciplines in order to advance AI research in biomedicine. We welcome all NIH researchers who are interested in AI, from novices to experts. Sponsored by NHLBI and the Office of Intramural Research.

Keynote Speakers: 

Dr. Alexander Rives, Co-founder and chief scientist at Evolutionary Scale, a company focused on applying machine learning and language models to biological systems, including the development of ESM3, a protein language model that enables the generation of novel proteins with potential applications for drug discovery and basic biological research. 

Dr. Leo Anthony Celi, Senior Research Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical school, who has a broad range of interests including integrating clinical expertise with data science, using information technology to enhance healthcare in low- and middle-income countries, and considering the social impacts of AI research. 

Read more about Homegrown AI at NIH in this NIH Catalyst article.

2024–2025 Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series (WALS)

• Wednesdays through June; 2–3 p.m.
• Building 10, Lipsett Amphitheater, and on NIH VideoCast

WALS is the highest-profile lecture program at the NIH.

May 13: George Khoury Lecture: The Interface between Metabolism and Immunity within a Virus Microenvironment, Ileana M. Cristea (Princeton University) 

May 21: William E. Paul Lecture: Immunology from First Principles, Ruslan Medzhitov (Yale School of Medicine) 

June 4: Mechanisms and Meaning for Smell, Sandeep Robert Datta (Harvard Medical School) 

June 11: Margaret Pittman Lecture, rescheduled from previous season: Bioorthogonal Chemistry: The Journey from Basic Science to Clinical Translation, Carolyn Bertozzi (Stanford University) 

June 18: Discovering and Regulating Brain Networks Underlying Emotions, Kafui Dzirasa (Duke University) 

June 25: A Microbial World's View on Biological Evolution, Purificación López-García (Université Paris-Saclay)

See the full upcoming season on the WALS website and view the archives dating back more than 20 years.

2025 Demystifying Medicine Lecture Series

• Tuesdays, January–May, 3–5 p.m.
• Attend virtually via NIH VideoCast

Sponsored by FAES and NIH, the lectures will include presentations on pathology, diagnosis, and therapy in the context of major disease problems and current research. This series is designed to help bridge the gap between advances in biology and their application to major human diseases. Each session includes clinical and basic science components presented by NIH staff and invitees. All students, trainees, fellows, and staff are welcome.

May 6: Multiple Sclerosis: Progress Against Progression, Daniel Reich, Ph.D. (NINDS) and María Inés Gaitán, M.D (NINDS)

May 13: NETs: Basic Mechanisms and Impact in Human Health and Disease, Mariana Kaplan, M.D. (NIAMS) and Arturo Zychlinsky, Ph.D. (Max Planck)

May 20: Non-Infectious Diarrhea in Infancy: Genetic Challenges and Discoveries, James Goldenring, M.D., Ph.D. (Vanderbilt University Medical Center) and Mitchell Shub, M.D. (Phoenix Children's)

May 27: GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: More than Obesity- Neurodegenerative Diseases and Addiction, Nora Volkow, M.D. (NIDA Director) and Daniel Drucker, M.D. (Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto)

Bridge2AI May 2025 Open House

• Thursday, May 22

The Bridge2AI Open House will focus on collaborative approaches to learn about current considerations, explore new datasets, and discuss other key issues related to bridging the gap from biomedical information to AI. Sessions will be centered around the activities of the Bridge2AI Data Generation Projects, which stemmed from Grand Challenges put forth by the NIH. 

Robert M. Chanock Memorial Lecture: “Triumph and Humility in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease Prevention”

• Tuesday, May 20
• 9–10 a.m.
• Bldg. 50, 1st Floor conference room, in person-only event

The Robert M. Chanock Memorial Lecture honors the legacy of Dr. Chanock, a pioneering virologist whose work at NIAID led to critical discoveries in respiratory viruses, including the identification of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This annual lecture series brings together leading scientists to discuss advances in infectious disease research and to reflect upon Chanock’s lifelong commitment to scientific excellence and public health.

This year's lecturer is Ruth Karron, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Karron is a pediatrician, trained in infectious diseases, who has extensive experience in the evaluation of respiratory virus vaccines (including vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza viruses, avian influenza, and pandemic influenza) in adult and pediatric populations.

HEAL Workshop: Health Economics Research to Address the Needs of Those With Serious Mental Illness, Substance Use Disorder, and Comorbid Conditions

• Thursday, May 22
• 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• VideoCast only

A virtual workshop cohosted by the NIH HEAL Initiative, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The workshop will provide a forum for partners to engage with health economics researchers to share results and identify opportunities for rigorous health economics research to help meet the service needs of those with both serious mental illness and substance use disorder. The workshop is open to the public.

Topics include: 

• Economic evaluation approaches 
• Financing and delivery models 
• Special populations 
• Integrating treatment 
• Experience of persons with lived experiences and families 
• Reflections on new directions 

2025 WSA Scholar Symposium

The NIH Women Scientists Advisors (WSA) will host the 2025 WSA Scholars Symposium on June 24, 2-4 p.m., to honor the 2025 WSA Scholar Award recipients:

Fukya Akcimen, NIA: Large-scale genetic characterization of Parkinson’s disease in the African and African admixed populations

Cherrelle Dacon, NIAID: Protective monoclonal antibodies target a novel epitope generated by post-translational modification of Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein

Vineeta Das, NEI: Accelerating Visualization of Retinal Cells in Patients through Artificial Intelligence Assisted Imaging

DDIR Nina Schor will offer opening remarks.

The event will be held on Microsoft Teams
Meeting ID: 288 458 830 304 8
Passcode: f6jJ9Wz7

The featured awardees are selected from among female Fellow Award for Research Excellence (FARE) award winners. Awardees are intramural postdoctoral fellows who have performed outstanding scientific research. Watch the WSA website for more details.

Save the Date: Annual NIH Research Festival

The NIH Intramural Research Program will hold its annual NIH Research Festival on September 9–12, in Building 10 on the NIH Bethesda campus. We will feature lectures, posters, workshops, and the Green Labs Fair. Additional biomedical vendors will exhibit on September 11–12.