Opening session

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Welcome from the EMWA President and Conference Director

Microbes and Macrobes. Interaction in XXI Century - Raimonds Simanis

Regardless of what we humans think and do using our mind, we share one world with viruses and microbes. And we arrived here just recently. Do we hear warning signals coming from our “teachers” bacteria, archaea and viruses – those creatures well hidden from naked eye of a human? Would we benefit from understanding their 3.5 billion years survival secrets? If yes, how to view life like they do? Anybody has an opportunity to impact world in the information age. Because the humankind has reached the “point of no return” in terms of gene editing technologies we took from microbes, smart people should build an actionable network aiming to survive and thrive for a long time to come.  I am trying here to lead by example as I take a courage to communicate to people all around the world via my book “LIFE THROUGH THE EYES OF A MICROBE”.

Raimonds Simanis M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A. is an infectious diseases specialist with over 30 years of experience mostly in academia. Currently, he is an associate professor at Rīga Stradiņš University and Market Development Manager at Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB. Raimonds is a world traveller, nature lover, birdwatcher and photographer. A desire to see the world, and the experience of living through the Nepal Earthquake, led Raimonds to consider the fragility and vulnerability of humans. He has multiple viewpoints on the world of microbes and viruses – academic (Rīga Stradiņš University), practical medicine (Fairfield infectious diseases hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Rīga East University Hospital, Infectious diseases hospital), pharmaceutical industry (F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB), research (Rīga Stradiņš University) and last but no least as many of us, being a patient in the infectious diseases hospital (in his case - severe atypical pneumonia). The most recent work by Raimonds is the book “Life Through The Eyes Of A Microbe” that is published in Amazon, Kindle Publishing in August, 2021. Writing this book has been a wonderful opportunity to ‘do good’ by sharing his knowledge and wisdom in this often-misunderstood area of science.

Cultural Presentation

A local Riga tour guide will share their knowledge of Riga and its history.