“Evolution and the Genetic Basis for Human Disease” is the subject of the 13th annual Vanderbilt Genetics Symposium 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 1 in the Student Life Center.
Keynote speakers and their topics are:
- Sarah Tiskoff, Ph.D., David and Lyn Silfen University Associate Professor of Genetics and Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, “Evolutionary Genomic Analyses of Adaptation and Ancestry in Africa;”
- Ryan Hernandez, Ph.D., assistant professor of Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), “The role of pathogens in shaping patterns of human genetic variation;”
- Stanford University postdoctoral fellow Brenna Henn, Ph.D., “The Effect of Out-of-Africa migrations on the distribution of functional alleles in diverse human genomes;” and
- UCSF graduate student Chris Gignoux, “The role of ancestry in mapping risk factors for asthma.”
Vanderbilt speakers are Antonis Rokas, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biological Sciences, whose topic is entitled, “From fungal supergenes to inborn errors of metabolism,” and David Samuels, Ph.D., associate professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, who will discuss “the evolution of mitochondrial DNA and human disease.
The symposium will be followed the next day, Oct. 2, with a workshop on Population Genetic Analyses in Admixed Populations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 419 Light Hall. Both events are hosted by the Vanderbilt Center for Human Genetics Research (CHGR).
There is no charge to attend the Oct. 1 symposium but registration is required. The registration fee for the Oct. 2 workshop is $75 for trainees; $150 for faculty and staff.
Visit http://chgr.mc.vanderbilt.edu/ for more information and to register.