The School of Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) will hold the 64th Annual Bailey K. Ashford Conference on Friday, March 27, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., in Jaime Benitez Rexach Amphitheater of the Medical Sciences Campus.
The Bailey K. Ashford Conference honors the legacy of Dr. Bailey K. Ashford, who on November 24, 1899, telegraphed from the city of Ponce to the Chief Surgeon in San Juan reporting the parasitic cause of tropical anemia (uncinariasis) in Puerto Rico. This discovery revolutionized medicine in Puerto Rico by identifying the disease and promoting its mass treatment, laying the groundwork for modern tropical medicine with international scientific impact. His work transformed public health on the Island and established Puerto Rico as a reference in infectious disease research.
In this 64th edition, the masterclass titled “Fungal Diseases in a Warming World” will be delivered by renowned microbiologist and immunologist Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Dr. Casadevall is a world authority on the study of host defense mechanisms, microbial pathogenesis, and the development of antibody-based therapies for infectious diseases. His laboratory investigates two fundamental questions: How do microbes cause disease? How do hosts, including humans, protect themselves from microbes? His multidisciplinary research program spans essential areas of basic immunology and microbiology. One of the primary focuses of his laboratory is the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, a ubiquitous environmental microorganism that represents a frequent cause of disease in immunocompromised individuals. This fungus can cause pulmonary infections and a potentially fatal fungal meningitis, particularly in patients with weakened immune systems, such as people with AIDS. Among his scientific contributions is the study of melanin in C. neoformans, a pigment associated with the virulence of the fungus. Innovatively, an antibody developed in his laboratory against fungal melanin is currently under evaluation as a possible treatment for melanoma. In recent years, Dr. Casadevall’s laboratory has also investigated Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax and is recognized as a potential biological warfare agent due to the ease of dispersal of its spores. His team works on the development of antibody-based immunological countermeasures for protection against this disease.
Dr. Casadevall has been elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2017, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Queens College of the City University of New York, in recognition of his distinguished scientific career.
The academic community, health professionals, researchers, and students are invited to participate in this important masterclass conference.
For more information, visit: https://md.rcm.upr.edu/bkamemorial/
