Autoimmune Diseases Summit: The Global State of Autoimmunity Today

8:30 a.m.          Welcome and Kickoff Speech

9:00 a.m.          Introduction

The History of Autoimmunity and

American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association

Dr. Noel Rose, Director, Center for Autoimmune Disease Research,

Johns Hopkins University

9:30 a.m.          Panel Discussion #1:

The Escalating Problem of Autoimmune Diseases:

Investigating the Epidemic Increase in Incidence and Cost

Moderator: Donna Jackson, Author, "The Autoimmune Epidemic"

Glinda Cooper, Ph.D., Enviornmental Protection Agency (EPA)

M. Eric Gershwin, M.D., Chief, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California-Davis

Christine Parks, Research Fellow, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Frederick W. Miller, M.D., Ph.D, NIEHS  

10:45 a.m.        Break

11:00 a.m.        Panel Discussion #2:

Public Policy and Autoimmunity:

Discussion of the State of Autoimmune Diseases Advocacy

Virginia T. Ladd, President and Executive Director, American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA)

Phyllis E. Greenberger, M.S.W, President and CEO, Society for Women's Health Research

Stanley M. Finger, President, Enviornmental Consulting and Investigations, Board Chairman, American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA)

Betty Diamond, M.D., Center Head, Department of Autoimmune Diseases, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System

Michael Amos, Ph.D., National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST)

12:00 Noon      LUNCH

                        Keynote: Actress Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Dancing 

                        with the Stars)

1:15 p.m.          Panel Discussion #3

Communicating the Issue: 

The Media’s Role in Public Health Information Dissemination

Moderator: Rita Baron-Faust, MPH, CHES, Author, "The  

Autoimmune Connection"

Margery Rosen, Health and Medical Writer

Peggy Peck, Vice President, Executive Editor, MedPage Today LLC.

Becca McDevitt, WJLA-TV, Washington D.C.

2:00 p.m.        Panel Discussion #4

Exploring the Foundation of Autoimmunity: Detailing the History of  Autoimmunity Research and its Ramifications Today

2:30 p.m.        Panel Discussion #5     

  The Road to a Cure: Cutting Edge Research Discoveries in Autoimmunity and  Autoimmune Diseases 

Moderator, Dr. Robert Carter, Deputy Director, National Institute     

Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

 Dr. Daniel Rotrosen, Director, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Dr. David Norris, Chair of the Department of Dermatology, University of Colorado Medical Center

Jerrold J. Heindel, Ph.D., Scientific Program Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

3:15 p.m.        BREAK

3:30 p.m.        Panel Discussion #6

 Innovative Therapies:

 What’s in the Pipeline for Autoimmune Diseases?

Anthony Hayward, Division Director, National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)

Katherine Morland Hammitt, Vice President of Research, Sjogren's Syndrom Foundation

Cartier Esham, Ph.D., Director, Emerging Companies Health and Regulatory Affairs, Biotehnology Industry Organization (BIO)

4:15 p.m.        Closing Remarks

4:30 p.m.        Reception