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Arturo Casadevall: What If Fungi Win?
Thursday, July 18, 2024, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM EDT
Category: Events

Join author Arturo Casadevall and the Academy’s Chief Scientific Officer Brooke Grindlinger as they dive into the dual nature of fungi—beneficial allies and deadly foes—and Casadevall’s new book, What if Fungi Win?

Casadevall, an eminent mycologist, immunologist, and inventor, reveals the shared genetic complexity between humans and fungi and unravels the challenges in designing drugs to combat these relentless assailants. In our increasingly hot and humid world, fungi are evolving, posing global outbreak threats. Inspired by the fungal complications during the 1990s AIDS epidemic and the more recent COVID-19 pandemic, Casadevall leads a research team dedicated to finding innovative ways to counter these cunning adversaries.

Casadevall delves into fascinating fungal phenomena, from their proliferation after the mass dinosaur extinction to the historical connection between the rye fungus ergot and the Salem witch trials, and the versatile uses of fungi in creating vegan leather, eco-friendly packaging, and degrading plastic.

Explore the work of scientists assessing fungal risks and safeguarding humanity and our food supplies from these elusive adversaries.

About the Author:

Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD, is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Mycology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Public Health. His research is primarily focused on the fungal causes of disease, host defense mechanisms, and the development of antibody-based therapies for infectious diseases. In addition to his medical mycology work, Casadevall is an entrepreneur with several patents for fungi-based inventions, including eco-friendly packaging.

He is Chair of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Microbiology, Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science; and is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation; American Academy of Physicians; American Academy of Microbiology; American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the Council for Foreign Relations; the National Academy of Medicine; and the National Academy of Sciences.  Casadevall is the frequently-cited author of more than 1,000 publications, and is the editor-in-chief of mBio, Deputy Editor of the Journal of Clinical Investigation and senior editor of eLife. An expert advisor for numerous media companies including CBC, Forbes, National Geographic Magazine, NBC, and Smithsonian Magazine, he has also been featured on Radiolab and in the film “The Kingdom: How Fungi Made Our World.

Premium tickets for in-person participants include an exclusive pre-event ‘Meet the Author’ experience, an autographed paperback copy of Arturo’s new book, What if Fungi Win?, and premium seating in the main auditorium. 

This program is part of the “Authors at the Academy” Series.

Hosted by John Hopkins University: Please follow this link for more information