"The roles of genetic/genomic variations in health disparities among
African descended peoples remain greatly understudied. This conference
will provide a bridge of knowledge that will begin to fill the gaps in
our current understanding of the magnitude of genetic diversity in
Africa and the Americas, its origins, ecological context, geographical
distributions, and biomedical significance. The conference will provide
data on African genetic variants, the presence of African genetic
retentions in the Americas, as well as evidence for new genetic
configurations.
Additionally, the conference will explore the more relevant
non-genetic factors that have differentially influenced the 21st Century
profiles of African genetic and genomic variations and the impact of
some of these factors on gene expression, disease susceptibilities, and
health disparities.
The conference will introduce some of the newest technology available
to understand human genetics and genomics and discuss the relevance of
this technology to studies among continental Africans and
African-descended groups of the Americas. The conference will begin to
articulate a set of roadmaps for future studies among populations of
recent African descent.
These kinds of data and opportunities for their discussion are
expected to be profoundly important to both researchers in the field,
particularly those working in the vast and understudied continent of
Africa, and for the general biomedical community, particularly
individuals working with African-descended individuals and groups in the
Americas in clinical settings. For the former group of field
researchers, the conference will contribute a more nuanced and enriched
historical framework for interpreting African human genetic variation
and its impact on disease patterns as well as more standardized,
trans-disciplinary, and accurate terminologies for use in reporting this
observed genetic and genomic diversity. For the general biomedical
community, this conference will synthesize knowledge that is at the
foundations of some of the most important health disparity issues facing
African-descended peoples in the Americas."
http://africangenetics.web.unc.edu/program-plenary-sessions-and-speakers/
This looks like it will be an informative conference with some notable geneticists speaking.
I'll update this post as I get more information.
Posts
I'm so much wanting to go to this conference, which Dr. Jackson, the organizer, invited me to! Then I could let people know of our research on Y-Haplogroup A, and hear the latest from some major people in the field. But unfortunately, at my job, they think they won't be able to find enough staff at that time, if I'm gone. So please just pray for a miracle!
ReplyDeleteThe very best of luck to you in attending the conference, and please do update any novel information that you may find at the conference re: African genetics; YDNA, mtDNA or Autosomal.
ReplyDeleteBe well!