Institute of Philosophy to host summit on Long-Covid Parosmia

Monday 18 October 2021

22nd October will see the inaugural conference of the Institute of Philosophy’s new Centre for Olfactory Research and Applications (CORA).

The online conference will be an international summit on post-Covid-19 parosmia, a Long Covid symptom that many people have developed following recovery from smell loss, where familiar foods and household items have a distorted and disgusting smell. The conference brings together the world’s leading experts on parosmia; including clinicians, patient groups, sensory scientists, and humanities researchers; to explore the causes of parosmia, the psychological and social effects on those dealing with altered smell and taste, and to find out what is known about treatment and recovery.

There will be an interactive element to help the audience understand what it is like to experience parosmia and on Oct 23 there will be a dedicated in person session working with patient groups.

The Centre for Olfactory Research and Applications (CORA) brings together neurobiologists, sensory scientists, chemists, clinicians, patient advocates, philosophers and perfumers to carry our collaborative research on the nature of olfaction, from a theoretical and empirical point of view, and to pursue innovative applications of that research in clinical and creative settings. The aim of CORA is to bring together experts with different perspectives who can share knowledge that will advance our understanding of the sense of smell: its function in everyday life, its role in conscious experience, its contribution to perceiving flavours, its relation to mood and memory and the consequences of smell loss or dysfunction.