Featured Symposia
Questions: programs@ashg.org
Looking to make your mark on the ASHG Annual Meeting? Propose a Featured Symposium on a topic that excites you. Our Program Committee is here to provide guidance and support. To ensure a diverse and engaging program, we encourage you to invite presenters and moderators from a variety of backgrounds and career stages. Let’s create a memorable meeting together!
Submission Deadline: February 10, 2025, at 5:00 pm EST
Decision Date: Late March/Early April 2025
Proposer/Moderator: Must be current 2025 ASHG member. Renew your 2025 membership. Must also serve as the Moderator and primary contact for the symposium.
Speakers: Four speakers. See below for more information.
Trainees: Each session must have at least one trainee as a moderator and/or speaker.
Session Duration: 90 minutes
Format: Sessions with four 15-minute talks followed by an optional panel discussion. Panel/debate style sessions are encouraged.
Symposia Session Types
Featured Symposia should address the state of the science on a specific topic. The following are some desired session types that would be welcomed by the Program Committee.
- incorporating all aspects of human genetics research, particularly topics that integrate multiple basic scientific and clinical aspects of human genetic disease.
- integrating multiple new approaches, technologies, model systems, or perspectives to address fundamental questions in genetics and genomics.
- addressing research and best practices in genetics education at all levels, including training for academics and professionals, and education of research participants, patients, consumers, and the public.
- examining and seeking to address systemic racism in the genetic and genomic research enterprise including training, study design, recruitment and engagement of participants, analysis of data, and dissemination of research findings.
- relating to research practices in health disparities as well as clinical and public health applications of human genetics.
- based on issues raised by applications of genomic technologies outside health and healthcare, including, but not limited to, education, forensics, immigration, human behavior, human evolution, human history and migration, and recreational applications.
- focusing on social, ethical, and policy issues raised by the application of polygenic risk scores in preventive healthcare and public health, as well as applications outside health and healthcare.
- elucidating gene-by-environment interactions, including social determinants of health, in the causation of health disparities, as well as analysis of the social, ethical, and policy implications of this research.
- Choose the right theme. Proposals that do well have a cohesive, overarching theme that has not been presented at recent meetings. Topics should have broad appeal to ASHG meeting attendees.
- Choose the right speakers. Competitive proposals involve presenters who push the field forward while offering unique and diverse perspectives on the topic of focus.
- Craft clear descriptions. Successful proposals have clear, detailed descriptions of each speaker’s talk. These should relate to the overall session theme and include recent data.