Summary Funds are requested to provide partial support for the 68th Annual Conference of Coccidioidomycosis Study Group (CSG) to be held on April 5-6, 2024, hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio. The meeting will be held at the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. CSG prides itself on bringing an abundance of coccidioidomycosis researchers together to share the latest research being conducted in the various laboratories, provide opportunities for collaboration, and promote the development of junior trainees. Researchers, physicians, veterinarians, other healthcare providers, epidemiologists, and various trainees (students/residents/fellows/postdocs) from over 30 laboratories have attended annually. In the past, the meeting sites were rotated among institutions in Arizona and California. For the first time, the CSG conference will be hosted in Texas, where coccidioidomycosis is also recognized as endemic. A growing number of medical mycologists has supported this meeting, leading to its longevity and significance over the past 67 years of the CSG. Although the meeting format has evolved over the years, the current format has focused on oral and poster presentations by trainees regarding their most exciting and impactful research data. The small group setting provides a welcoming environment that successfully promotes discussion and constructive feedback for trainees. The program includes seven scientific sections with 39 slots for trainees’ oral presentations, a poster section, a keynote speaker, a business hour, and a banquet. The small group setting in the planned program and attendance by both the PIs and trainees is excellent for networking and promoting the development of the trainees. Dr. Jennifer Lodge, a renowned medical mycologist and VPR at Duke University, has accepted our invitation to be the 2024 keynote speaker. We request 12 travel awards ($500 each) for trainees, presenting in person and support for live-streaming to encourage more scientists to attend the meeting. The recipients will be selected on the basis of their application for need of travel support, giving a presentation in the meeting, and the merit of their research. We will also consider a higher priority for women and minority trainees. Our specific aims are: 1) To bring Coccidioides researchers and medical mycologists from clinical and academic institutes together to share research, initiate collaborations, and provide a venue for trainees and established researchers to present their recent work and 2) To promote the development of young/early career scientists in medical mycology, specifically, the coccidioidomycosis field. This meeting is a mentoring tool to facilitate a career path that will incorporate the study of coccidioidomycosis. With its focus on coccidioidomycosis, the proposed CSG meeting will synergize with NIAID’s mission by bringing together researchers investigating coccidioidomycosis and Coccidioides in an ideal setting to promote cross-disciplinary discussions.

Narrative Coccidioides spp. are the causative agents of coccidioidomycosis, also known as Valley fever which is an emerging infection with ~380,000 new cases in the US annually. Many important questions needed to be studied for the development of better therapeutic strategies for the control of this mycosis. It is the first time, we request NIH R13 funds to support travel awards for trainees, travel costs for a keynote speaker, and to defray the cost of live streaming for an annual meeting to reach more researchers interested in Coccidioides and Valley Fever.