This eSymposia is organized in collaboration with the Vitamin D Workshop, the premier meeting in the field of vitamin D biology since 1973. This virtual 23rd Vitamin D Workshop will accelerate scientific discoveries that optimize the health effects of the vitamin D endocrine system.

Ever since E.V. McCollum coined the term “vitamin D” in the 1920s, we’ve known that vitamin D plays an essential role in bone and calcium metabolism. However, decades of research show that vitamin D can also impact physiological and pathological processes beyond bone. As a molecular regulator of cell differentiation, lineage determination, apoptosis, autophagy, and metabolism, Vitamin D influences carcinogenesis, metabolic diseases, and various aspects of immunity. Meanwhile, the presence of the Vitamin D receptor and multiple metabolizing enzymes in most human tissues highlights the complexity of this system as a modulator of health and wellness throughout the body.

This virtual conference will be a venue for sharing insight into the molecular actions and translational potential of vitamin D in a variety of disease-relevant physiologic contexts, covering the following key scientific questions:

1. How does vitamin D signaling influence immune cells to alter the response to infectious disease (e.g. COVID-19) or inflammation-driven diseases (e.g. IBD)?
2. What molecular mechanisms explain the impact of vitamin D on traditional (calcium/bone) and non-traditional (stem cells/cancer/development/aging) endpoints?
3. What new analytical or computational approaches are available to expand our understanding of vitamin D action?

By answering these and other questions, participants will generate new scientific ideas and form collaborations that enable translation of this knowledge to improve human health.