# The Second Rust Belt Microbiome Conference

> **NIH NIH R13** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2022 · $7,000

## Abstract

Project Summary
This application requests partial funding for the Second Pittsburgh Rust Belt Microbiome (RBM) Conference
2022. For the Second RBM Conference, we intend to leverage the strength, successes and lessons learned from
the first conference held in 2019 with an exciting and forward-thinking program featuring a focus on mechanistic
studies of the microbiome through cutting-edge basic and translational research and new developments in the
role of the microbiome in infectious disease, clinical science, and personalized medicine. Our goal is to establish
this conference as a biennial event open to nation-wide attendance yet focused on bringing together the
microbiome research and clinical communities from Pittsburgh (University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center [UPMC], Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne, Allegheny General Hospital, as well as Allegheny College,
Carlow University, and Chatham University) and nearby cities (including Buffalo, Morgantown, Cleveland,
Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Columbus). The conference will be open to national attendance, while promoting
inclusion of undergraduate and regional institutions and hospital staff who may otherwise have limited access to
national/international conferences on human pathogens and microbiome. While research in the microbiome
space is presented at other national meetings, the RBM conference distinguishes itself in multiple ways including
research topics focused on new technologies that can be incorporated into microbiome studies, new forays into
the use of the microbiome in the treatment of cancer, and the importance of evolution and adaptation processes
in host-microbiome interactions. Further, the conference emphasizes the integration of basic and clinical
researchers, along with highlighting the work of students and junior investigators. To this end, the conference
will feature several “rapid-fire” sessions for short talks from junior investigators that will be chosen by the
organizing committee from submitted abstracts. There will also be opportunities for students to present their work
in an interactive poster session in which posters are grouped by topics and students orally present posters to
their peers and senior investigators who are part of the group. Opportunities for students to interact with speakers
will also be organized. The conference brings together leading scientists from multiple disciplines and institutions
to advance this vital field while striving for an inclusive meeting that actively involves students and junior
scientists.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10540562
- **Project number:** 1R13AI172242-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Natalia Luisa Hiller
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $7,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-25 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10540562

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10540562, The Second Rust Belt Microbiome Conference (1R13AI172242-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10540562. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*