Led by Susanne Haga, a group of staff in DGIM’s Precision Medicine Program successfully wrapped up the third meeting supported under an U13 award from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). The NHGRI Research Training and Career Development Annual Meeting was held on April 7–9, 2024 at the Westin Seattle Hotel in Seattle, Washington.
Each year, the Annual Meeting provides a venue for all trainees supported by NHGRI across the U.S. in the fields of genome sciences, genomic medicine, and the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) to present their research and network with other trainees and established researchers. This year’s 2.5 day meeting offered a plenary discussion moderated by Dr Eric Green, NHGRI Director, with leading genomic researchers at the University of Washington, nine breakout sessions on science and career development topics, and two data sciences workshops, along with 12 trainee platform presentations and two poster sessions to accommodate the large number of abstract submissions.
The Duke team supports all facets of meeting planning and coordination, from contracting the hotel and setting up the registration site, to planning of the agenda and identifying speakers in coordination with NHGRI staff and working onsite to support the meeting. Each year, the meeting has slightly increased in size – this year had just over 400 registrants, the majority of whom are graduate students in NHGRI-funded T32 programs around the country. The team has already begun planning for the 2025 meeting in Philadelphia, PA.