January 29, 2020- The Alpha-1 Foundation is excited to host the two- day virtual 21st Gordon L. Snider Critical Issues Workshop entitled, “Exacerbations and Pulmonary Comorbidities” on Friday, January 29 and Saturday, January 30, 2021.
Click here to view the meeting program book
Although the last 50-60 years have seen much progress in the identification and management of Alpha-1, the rarity of the condition has seen the lack of significant cohorts facilitating the in-depth exploration of these issues. Recent investigator and patient-driven questions have continued to influence both clinical and research efforts to direct more comprehensive knowledge.
The goal of the workshop is to discuss more recent knowledge addressing some of these issues and to highlight where real progress has been made and where knowledge in patient management remains sub-optimal. In particular, the role and effect of acute exacerbations and disease subtypes affecting patients’ health and outcomes are to be addressed. The program will include presentations followed by open discussion.
The program has been divided into four sessions over the course of two days with over twenty presentations from physicians and researchers from around the world. The sessions include Pulmonary Exacerbations, Comorbidities, Morbidities and Usual COPD vs. Alpha-1 COPD.
Click here to view workshop agenda
The virtual event is made possible by the hard work and dedication of the workshop’s co-chairs, Professor Robert Stockley, Dr. Alan Barker and Ms. Jean McCathern. Professor Stockley is Professor of Medicine at the University of Birmingham, he established a registry for AATD patients in the UK in 1996 and has followed patients for over 20 years. He was instrumental in establishing and chairing the Alpha-1 International Registry. Dr. Barker is Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care at Oregon Health and Science University, Portland. He participated as one of the investigators in the landmark NHLBI Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Registry beginning in 1988. He is one of the Alpha Docs in the Northwest. Ms. McCathern is a ZZ Alpha that was diagnosed in 2004. She has been an active part of the Alpha-1 community as a Support Group Leader, AlphaNet Coordinator and Information technology consultant for AlphaNet. Ms. McCathern has been active on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee since 2009. She has been a huge advocate of participating in research and has been part of numerous Alpha-1 studies over the years.
This workshop has been made possible because of the dedication of the workshop planning committee: Prof. Robert Stockley, Dr. Alan Barker, Jean McCathern, Dr. James Donohue, Dr. Mark Brantly, Dr. Jeanine D’Armiento, and Dr. Robert Sandhaus.
Scientific meetings and conference organized by the Alpha-1 Foundation are designed to answer important questions in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (Alpha-1), identify new approaches, and help to establish the Foundation’s credibility as a resource for serious research. The Gordon L. Snider Critical Issues Workshops are named after the late Dr. Gordon L. Snider one of the most influential researchers in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. Dr. Snider not only made seminal scientific contributions which have clarified the pathogenesis of Alpha-1, but also laid the groundwork for the Foundation’s research program. In particular, he stressed the importance of encouraging young investigators to pursue a career in Alpha-1 research.
Thank you to the generous sponsors for their support of the 21st GLS Workshop: AlphaNet, CSL Behring, Grifols, Takeda and Vertex.
