March 2005

Dear Members of The American Society of Human Genetics and Annual Meeting Registrants:

The ASHG Program Committee and Board of Directors invite you to submit your abstract and attend the 55th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. As is traditional, this year’s meeting will be held from Tuesday, October 25, through Saturday, October 29. For the past year, the Program Committee has been working to develop a program that will provide top quality scientific and clinical information to address the needs of a diverse audience. "Realizing the Promise of the Human Genome Project" will be the theme bringing the diverse interests of our membership together. Highlights of the meeting include a special symposium Friday evening titled, "Genetics and Genomics in the Public Eye," as well as two sessions on Saturday: a special historical session on “The Origins of the Human Genome Project” and the Distinguished Speakers’ Symposium that will discuss the impact of the Human Genome Project on genetics and genomics. In addition, there will again be a dinner/workshop featuring a Mock Study Section to help registrants navigate the NIH peer review process. The scientific program promises to be one of the strongest in our history. It will be highlighted by 21 superb, invited scientific sessions chosen from among 75+ at-large submissions.

The Program Committee has worked to balance basic, translational, and clinical research with educational and social issues. The theme of "Realizing the Promise of the Human Genome Project" is relevant to clinicians trying to diagnose and characterize birth defects and developmental disorders; to counselors informing and supporting patients and families about these disorders; to basic scientists trying to decipher the pathogenesis of Mendelian disorders; to geneticists trying to dissect contributions to complex traits; and to all of us trying to translate the wealth of genomic information into function. The backbone of the scientific program will again be the plenary, platform, and poster presentations. This year, the Committee has rewritten the abstract topics and subtopics that can be used to more precisely pinpoint the thrust of your work when submitting an abstract. This will allow the work to be directed with more accuracy to the most appropriate reviewers, and by more closely identifying the main subject of abstract work, poster and platform abstracts may be selected, scheduled and arranged to provide the most relevant presentation. The Program Committee will again select abstracts from diverse disciplines to be grouped together in thematic, "cross-topic" sessions. The Society members have found these sessions valuable because they encourage interaction among the different specialties of our Society.

As part of our continuing efforts to improve the logistics of the meeting, and in response to the membership survey, registrants will receive a Program and Abstracts book, as well as a searchable CD and Web interfaces. Finally, we continue to attract attendees from other professional societies who enhance scientific, educational, and social interactions within our Society. We encourage you to communicate your ideas and comments to the Society and to share this Call for Abstracts/Meeting Information site with your nonmember colleagues. The Society values the contributions of its members and we look forward to receiving your abstract and seeing you in Salt Lake City!

Sincerely,

Anthony J. Wynshaw-Boris, M.D., Ph.D. Chair, Program Committee

Peter H. Byers, M.D. President, ASHG