Welcome!

My name is Dr. Jonathan Godbout and I am a Professor of Neuroscience at The Ohio State University (OSU) Wexner Medical Center.  It is my pleasure to invite you to attend the 4^th Annual Americas School of Neuroimmunology (ASNI) conference this July 11-14, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio, USA.  This conference is primarily focused on graduate trainee education and is important to the mission of the International Society of Neuroimmunology.  It is my honor to serve as the local host for this conference along with the ASNI organizers: Dr. Wee Yong (University of Calgary) and Dr. Tika Benveniste (University of Alabama at Birmingham).  

We are especially excited to host the ASNI conference at The Ohio State University. OSU has a long-standing passion for neuroimmunology & neurotrauma research and education with faculty members across diverse departments including Neuroscience, Neurology, Health & Rehab Sciences, Psychology, Psychiatry, Biosciences, and Microbial Infection & Immunity. Moreover, OSU is the home of several centers and programs including the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, the Belford Center, NINDS T32 Training Program in Neuroimmunology, the Neurological Research Institute, and the Chronic Brain Injury Program, which all have significant neuroimmunology components to their research, education, and training goals. 

Trainees will have opportunities to attend didactic lectures, present their research, and network with experts from North, Central and South America. OSU is one of the largest collegiate campuses in the USA, and the ASNI conference will be held right in the heart of the OSU campus at the Student Union.  Student attendees will stay in the campus dormitories and faculty will be on campus at the Blackwell Inn. All of the events for this conference will be on the central campus, making everything accessible and within walking distance.  

Columbus has terrific weather in the summer and is situated on the Olentangy River. Columbus is the largest (1.7 million people) and fastest-growing city in Ohio.  Columbus is easy to get to with the John Glenn International Airport (CMH) less than 10 miles from campus. The city has a lively blend of arts and culture; fine culinary, fashion, and entertainment scenes; and exciting collegiate and professional sports. Campus is very close to downtown with a diverse array of districts (arts, entertainment, and arena/sports).  OSU and Columbus have a lot to offer for fun, dining, and exploration. 

So again, please join me, the national organizers, Drs. Yong and Benveniste, and the local organizers (Drs. Phil Popovich, Ben Segal, Amy Lovett-Racke, Dana McTigue, Katy Lenz, Ruth Barrientos, Niki Kokiko-Cochran, Kedar Hiremath and Julie Hannahs) for the Americas School of Neuroimmunology conference this July 11-14 in Columbus.  We look forward to seeing you in July!