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ASHG to
Participate in a Study on Institutional
Review Board Concerns |
-Wylie Burke, ASHG President
Over the next two years, ASHG will partner with
Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research
(PRIM&R), the leading professional organization in
the area of research ethics, and with investigators
at Case Western Reserve University and the
University of Washington to address concerns about
institutional review board (IRB) review of human
genetics research. The rationale for the project is
the many anecdotal reports in the human genetics
community about problematic IRB reviews.
Researchers
are observing an apparent increased concern about
informed consent, return of results to participants,
and other aspects of study design when genetics is
part of the study. Questions are also raised about
the collection of information on family members,
family-based recruitment, and the use and
construction of databanks that include genomic
information. Researchers report that study designs
previously approved by an IRB are sometimes
questioned at renewal. Variable and sometimes
inconsistent IRB review of multi-site studies can
also occur. Although expert commentaries have been
written on a number of these issues, there has not
been a systematic study to define the scope of the
concerns. ASHG will play a leadership role in a
project to address this data gap, and then use the
data to improve the IRB review process.
The project has four phases, the first of which was
initiated this fall. Joann Boughman, Executive Vice
President of ASHG, is heading an advisory committee
that will provide oversight throughout the project.
Phase 1: Focus groups at the University of
Washington, Oregon Health and Science University,
and Case Western, to identify the range of IRB
concerns among genetic researchers and IRB
personnel. This research is being done under the
auspices of two NHGRI-funded Centers of Excellence
in Ethical, Legal and Social Implications Research (CEERs)
at Case Western Reserve University (PI, Eric Juengst)
and University of Washington (PI, Wylie Burke).
Phase 2: Using the information gathered in
the focus groups, the CEER investigators will work
with ASHG and PRIM&R to design e-mail surveys to be
sent to the ASHG and PRIM&R membership. The goal of
the surveys will be to determine the frequency with
which members have observed different concerns in
IRB review and their relative significance.
ASHG members should expect to see the surveys some
time in late winter or spring 2008.
Phase 3: Data from the focus groups and
surveys will be analyzed by the CEER investigators
and reported to ASHG and PRIM&R leadership.
Phase 4: ASHG and PRIM&R will sponsor a
consensus-development process, with two goals: (1)
To define core areas of agreement regarding IRB
review of genetic research and identify areas of
disagreement; and (2) To promote multidisciplinary
discussion to determine the optimal methods for
addressing the problematic areas, in order to
provide guidance for both researchers and IRBs.
The likely products of this consensus process will
include items such as model consent forms,
strategies for addressing problematic IRB issues in
various types of genetic research, points to
consider for IRBs, and guidance or researchers
completing IRB applications. The goal is to complete
the process by spring 2009. We welcome comments and
suggestions from ASHG members.
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|
From
Members of the ASHG Board of Directors |
SNP-IT continues to help you get to know
members of your Board of Directors by sharing their
answers to questions both traditional and
unexpected.
|
Photo
by Rich Riggins |
Aravinda Chakravarti, PhD
Incoming ASHG President
Director, Center for Complex Disease
Genomics
McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic
Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research description:
Genome-scale disease genomics to understand
the molecular basis of complex disorders.
If your office were on fire, what one
object would you take with you?
Monroe Strickberger's GENETICS and Curt
Stern's HUMAN GENETICS. You can’t get either
anymore. They are not molecular, but they
are the best genetics reads, hands down!
Moment you knew you'd be a scientist?
Reading J. B. S. Haldane ("An Autobiography
in Brief" in the Illustrated Weekly of
India) after high school and before college.
Any major "aha" moments that have marked
your career?
Recognizing that disease gene mapping by
association studies was possible for any
disease after our work on cystic fibrosis.
Favorite mentors/people that have shaped
your career?
Al Knudson, Masatoshi Nei, Allan Wilson,
Ching Chun Li
What would you like ASHG members to know
about you?
Human genetics is not my profession but my
life.
Any nuggets of advice for trainees/young
scientists?
Get deeply involved in both quantitative and
experimental genetics. Have fun; human
genetics lets you do that. |
|
|
Mary-Claire King, PhD
American Cancer Society Professor
Department of Genome Sciences and Department of
Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics), University
of Washington, Seattle
Research description:
Genetics of complex traits. We are working now on
inherited breast and ovarian cancer, inherited
hearing loss (with our colleagues in the Middle
East) and schizophrenia.
If your office were on fire, what one object
would you take with you?
Picture album of my daughter and my lab people—from
before the days of
electronic pictures so I have only the paper copies.
Moment you knew you'd be a scientist?
A couple of years ago, when I was elected to the
National Academy. It took me a while (more than 30
years) to recognize that this life is real.
Any major "aha" moments that have marked your
career?
(1) The realization that humans and chimpanzees are
99% the same at the level of genes, and what this
might mean; (2) The realization that some breast
cancer is inherited and there was a real, physical
gene to prove it; (3) The realization that we could
identify remains of people from the DNA we could
extract from their teeth and match to their maternal
relatives
Favorite mentors/people that have shaped your
career?
Allan Wilson, Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Arno Motulsky
Favorite science joke?
How can you tell the difference in an airport
parking lot between a geneticist, an immunologist,
an epidemiologist, and a mathematician? The
geneticist will have carefully written down the
parking space of their car, drawn a sketch of the
lot, and will return to the locale without a hitch.
The immunologist will go wander through the lot
aiming the unlocking device in all directions until
the car responds. The epidemiologist will phone
whomever they travelled with and ask if they
remember where they parked the car. The
mathematician will take a taxi home, having
forgotten that he drove to the airport. (I made up
this joke so it is pretty dumb, but it is based on
actual experiences with colleagues of each sort
described.)
What would you like ASHG members to know about
you?
That I very much enjoy their thinking about
genetics. The ASHG is an excellent place to trade
exciting ideas.
Any nuggets of advice for trainees/young
scientists?
To look for a project until they find one that is
such fun that they don't want to leave the lab. It
is the best time ever to be doing genetics. We are
incredibly lucky.
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Distinguished ASHG Members in the News |
 |
ASHG congratulates two of our members for
winning the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology
or Medicine. Drs. Mario Capecchi from the
University of Utah and Oliver Smithies from
the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill share the 2007 prize with Sir Martin J.
Evans from Cardiff University "for their
discoveries of principles for introducing
specific gene modifications in mice by the
use of embryonic stem cells.”
For more on the Nobel announcement, please
visit the
Nobel Prize Web site. |
| |
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|
 |
Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, Director of the
National Human Genome Research Institute,
was recently awarded the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, the United States' highest civil
award, by President George W. Bush. ASHG
congratulates Dr. Collins, who was honored
for his efforts to revolutionize genetic
research. Under his leadership, the Human
Genome Project mapped and sequenced the
human genome, greatly expanding the
understanding of human DNA. For a
transcript of the award ceremony, please
visit the
Presidential Medal of Freedom site. |
| |
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|
 |
Dr. Toni Scarpa, director of the NIH's
Center for Scientific Review, presented the
first Marcy Speer Outstanding CSR Reviewer
Award to Dr. Speer's family at a meeting of
the Genetics of Health and Disease Study
Section. During the last 10 years, Dr. Speer
participated in over 50 study section
meetings for NIH: over 30 meetings for CSR
and over 20 for other NIH Institutes. She
died on August 4 at the Duke University
Hospital after a two-year battle with breast
cancer. She continued to serve as a
reviewer, even while undergoing treatment.
Her heroic and selfless service to NIH and
the research community is
detailed in an essay posted by CSR. |
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- Joann Boughman, ASHG Executive Vice President
The appropriations bills are moving through the
Houses of Congress, including the Labor-HHS FY 2008
bill that included a funding level of $30 billion
for NIH. However, the President has vowed to veto
the bill, so during November and even into
December the scientific community will need to
focus on gaining support of the Congress to override
the veto. This appropriations bill is enormous, and
the budget increase that scientists focus on is only
one of the reasons that the President is against
this legislation. As the Congress can move quickly
at times, please keep apprised of the progress of
this legislation through your usual daily news
sources.
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
has still not passed the Senate, as the leadership
and proponents of the Senate bill chose to
fast-track the bill through a process known as
“unanimous consent.” As that process does require
true unanimous consent, because of one holdout, as we have
found in Senator (Dr) Coburn (R-OK), the bill has
not moved. At this point in time, discussions on
specific language continue. Alternative strategies
to passage in the Senate are also under discussion.
This remains very frustrating, as the White House
has reiterated willingness to sign this legislation as
soon as it arrives on the President’s desk.
From the Executive Branch, CMS (Center for Medicaid
and Medicare Services), has issued a statement that
the creation of a new specialty in genetics is not
necessary to enhance CLIA (Clinical Laboratory
Improvement Act) for appropriate oversight of
genetic testing in laboratories. This request had
been made through a petition to CMS, asking the
agency to strengthen standards for genetic testing
laboratories. Discussions will continue in the
policy and testing communities, and at the
Secretary’s Advisory Committee for Genetics, Health
and Society (SACGHS) regarding these issues.
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- Kenna Mills Shaw, PhD
This past spring, the Ad Hoc Postdoctoral Committee,
comprised by Lawrence Merritt (chair), Reid Alisch,
Katie Rudd, Manika Govil and Cheryl Thomson, was
renamed the Professional Development Committee and
given a slightly broader charge to include 1)
developing and updating outreach material related to
career opportunities in human genetics including but
not limited to information available via the ASHG
Web site; 2) organizing informational symposia or
workshops on careers in human genetics to encourage
students at all levels and postdoctoral trainees,
specifically including students and trainees from
underrepresented minority groups, to choose careers
in genetics; and 3) supporting and advocating for
trainee and junior faculty members of the Society in
all aspects of their professional and career
development.
If you attended the annual meeting in New Orleans or
San Diego, we hope you took advantage of the highly
successful networking event organized by this
committee. Over the past two years almost 500
trainees interacted with dozens of geneticists who
have pursued a variety of careers including
academia, industry, journalism, policy, forensics,
clinical diagnostics, education, and law.
Over the next year ASHG anticipates working with
other FASEB member societies on workshops for
trainees. Several societies organize training on
grant writing, lab management and other useful
skills throughout the year and we hope to provide
opportunities to ASHG trainees for participation in
these events.
As part of fulfilling the ASHG Board of Directors’
charge, the Professional Development Committee has
developed the
ASHG Trainee
Career Toolkit, a series of resources available at
www.GenEdNet.org
Currently, five topics are covered:
Scientific/Academic Job Search Information
Job Opportunities for Life Scientists
CV vs. Resume FAQs
Skills Assessment/Individual Development Plans
Cover Letter Tips
We encourage our trainee members to suggest and
volunteer to write other sections of the toolkit. If
you would like to get involved in developing the
Trainee Career Toolkit or other aspects of the ASHG
Professional Development Committee, please contact
lawrence.merritt@seattlechildrens.org.
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 Communicate.
Consult. Collaborate. The
ASHG Forums
are online and available for all ASHG members to
use. The forums are a new service to ASHG members to
facilitate opportunities for additional
collaboration during the time between ASHG meetings.
Forums provide opportunities for member surveys, for
trainees to ask for advice, for professors seeking
guidance about an upcoming lecture—whatever you want
to ask your fellow ASHG members, there is a forum
for it!
There are currently forums devoted to:
| Professional Development |
K-12 Education |
| Mentoring |
GENA Project Grant (NSF Grant) |
| Annual Meeting Information
|
Undergraduate Education |
| Protocols/Troubleshooting |
Medical Student Education |
| International Trainee Issues |
Professional Education |
| Genetics Policy |
Lay Public Education |
| Women & Minorities in Science |
Recent articles in
AJHG or
GENETICS |
Members have asked us to add specific forums. Their
requests have led to forums available for those
interested in communicating to their colleagues
about new resources, datasets, and tools available
to the Genetics community and another for
individuals involved in private practice or practice
in rural areas and the unique issues they face.
Please contact
Katie Van
Horne if you have questions, suggestions or
additions for the member forums.
In early August all ASHG members received a login ID
and password. This is required to post and review
messages. If you have lost or forgotten your
password, retrieve it using the
forgot
password function. You will be asked for the
e-mail address that you provided when you became an
ASHG member.
We hope that ASHG members will enjoy frequent use of
the forums and will give us suggestions on improving
this member benefit so that it becomes more widely
utilized. Please log on today and help to make this
resource a valuable tool for all members.
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|
Regional Networks Revisited |
-Kenna Mills Shaw, PhD, and Judith
Benkendorf, MS, CGC, Project Manager, The
American College of Medical Genetics
In the August issue of SNP-IT we included an article
about the Council of Regional Networks (CORN). We
did not have the most up-to-date information about
Regional Networks. This article is an attempt to
clarify any confusion and bring us all up-to-date.
The CORN system disbanded in the 1990's when MCHB/HRSA
funding for the program was terminated. Some of the
regions, however, still had funds and kept
activities going. In 2004, under guidance and with
funding from the Hereditary Diseases Act, MCHB/HRSA
funded seven Regional Genetics and Newborn Screening
Service Collaboratives (RCs) and a National
Coordinating Center (NCC), housed at the American
College of Medical Genetics, as part of on-going
efforts to improve the health of children and their
families by promoting the translation of genetic
medicine into public health and healthcare services.
In brief, the RCs work to improve access to and
quality of genetic services in local communities by
sharing expertise and resources and developing
capacity and infrastructure to address the
geographic maldistribution of genetic service
providers. They also facilitate collaboration
between public health (NBS), primary care, and (sub)specialist
(genetics) providers. The NCC addresses issues of
national significance, coordinates inter-RC
workgroups and provides resources and technical
expertise to the RCs, thus avoiding duplication of
efforts and allowing the RCs to focus on their
unique needs. More information about the NCC/RC
system can be found on their Web site,
www.nccrcg.org.
The seven RCs are not the same as the regional
networks in the CORN system. Each RC has a Regional
Coordinating Center and the states have been
regrouped using different parameters. The RCs also
do not have the same names as the CORN regions. All
RC Web sites can be accessed from the NCC Web site.
The Board of Directors is interested in determining
whether ASHG should be trying to accomplish more at
the regional level. Should ASHG work with the RCs to
support regional meetings that have a broader scope
than they currently have? Should we form our own
regional groups? Should we hold smaller meetings
throughout the year to allow more junior members of
our Society to have opportunities to present their
work? What else would regional groups do to benefit
ASHG members? Would they distract in any way from
what we already do? We need your feedback about
these issues. Please visit www.ashg.org/forum/ and
log in. In the ASHG-Only forum we have posted this
paragraph about Regional Networks. Please leave your
comments so that we can begin a conversation with
you.
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Conference on Undergraduate
Education |
The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is
hosting its annual Conference on Undergraduate
Education (CUE) in Boston, Massachusetts, from May
30 through June 1, 2008. The ASHG Education Office
has been working with ASM to encourage an expanded
agenda at this meeting that will include a variety
of biological topics outside of those applicable to
microbiology. The 2008 meeting will even include an
invited plenary from one of ASHG’s leading educators
and authors, Dr. Ricki Lewis.
For those members interested in learning more about
improving their pedagogical techniques and learning
about new tools and resources in the field this is a
unique opportunity to meet with like-minded
scientists. It is also a chance to present your work
on novel teaching ideas, laboratories, or teaching
resources.
To encourage ASHG members to attend the 2008 ASM
meeting, the ASHG Education Office will offer five
travel awards for up to $1000 each.
More information on the meeting can be found at:
http://www.asmcue.org/
To apply for the travel awards, applicants must:
-
be an active ASHG member and
-
be actively teaching at the undergraduate level,
scheduled to teach a course in 2008/2009, or
actively pursuing a career that will include
teaching at the undergraduate level.
Please send an e-mail to the ASHG Education Office (GenEdNet@ashg.org)
and include your cv, a summary of your teaching
philosophy and a description of your commitment to
genetics education. Applications must be received no
later than March 1, 2008. Final decisions will be
made by April 1, 2008.
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|
Need Advice or Guidance
on Professional Issues? |
Dear Genie says…
Your search has ended. Send your questions to Dear
Genie at
genie@ashg.org and look for answers,
advice, insights, and guidance in future issues of
SNP-IT.
|
Featured Question:
Dear Genie,
I should start by saying that I love my PI.
She is hardworking, smart and treats
everyone in the lab well. But, in a way,
that’s the problem. It seems petty for me to
complain, but she treats everyone too well.
While most of us in the lab are generally
good citizens (including the occasional
person who uses up the last bit of Taq
without replacing it or those who leave
their lunches in the common fridge for
months), there are a couple of people in our
lab who simply do not play well with others.
We have a medium-sized lab and are small
enough so that we all have to interact on a
frequent basis. We all know who runs the
best western blots, who puts in the hours,
and who has been slacking. At least, it
seems that everyone knows—except my PI.
I know I am not supposed to care about what
other people do or don’t do in the lab. But
there doesn’t seem to be any accountability
for the two or three who are sloppy in their
work around the lab and thoughtless in their
overall concern for all our work.
-Frustrated with My Colleagues
|
 |
|
Genie's Response:
Dear Frustrated,
On the one hand, it is excellent that it
seems that your PI is trying to promote a
collegial, non-competitive environment for
her trainees to flourish. Unfortunately,
being “too nice” can often lead to the
opposite of what your PI intended. Instead
of fostering a workplace where everyone is
independent, open and friendly, the lack of
accountability can result in a loss of
motivation and resentment. I fear that is
what is happening or will soon happen for
you.
In truth, no matter what job you have, there
is always the potential for you to not
thoroughly approve of the leadership style
in your office or laboratory. Different
personalities will lead in different ways.
Your first attempt to effect a positive
change in the laboratory could be to discuss
your concerns with your PI. While it likely
is not “any of your business” to critique
the number of hours an individual spends in
the lab, it is clearly fair to ask for your
colleagues to be more courteous when it
comes to basic lab citizenry. Ask your PI to
reiterate the rules of the lab and make
specific mention of your concerns. If that
does not work, I would suggest gently
approaching the individuals who aren’t
pulling their weight. You can ask the lab
manager to institute a plan or calendar
where it is clear that certain individuals
are responsible for clean up, reordering, or
other lab tasks. Making tasks and
expectations more clear might have to come
from within the laboratory instead of from
your PI.
I hope that approaching either your PI or
your colleagues directly will ease your
frustration and result in increased
accountability and motivation for all.
-Genie |
Dear Genie welcomes your questions and will read
them all, but even a genie can’t promise to respond
to every one. Questions selected for SNP-IT
may be edited for length and style.
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What's in a Word? Get Your
AJHG
T-Shirt! |
 How
many genetics-related words can you find in "American
Society of Human Genetics"? Abbreviated gene
names are not allowed. Use letters only as often as
they appear. The three individuals who
send in the most words by November 22, 2007, will
each receive a free AJHG T-shirt.
Please send your entry to
Katie Van Horne
by 5:00 pm US East Coast time on November 22. Along with
your list of words, please be certain to include
your name, mailing address, and T-shirt size with
your entry.
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 ASHG, in collaboration with
Applied
Biosystems and the HudsonAlpha
Institute of Biotechnology, will be sponsoring the Third Annual DNA Day
Essay Contest. Thanks to our sponsors, we will be supporting both a middle
school (grades 7-8) and high school (grades 9-12) contest in 2008.
If you are interested in judging, please fill out
this information online.
The process is completely electronic and the majority of the work will be
completed in the middle of March/early April.
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ASHG
Mentor Network Undergoes An Overhaul! |
- Kenna Mills Shaw, PhD
By now, most of you have heard of the ASHG Mentor
Network. If not, here’s a brief “need to know.” The
Mentor Network:
-
was begun in 2003 as part of a collaboration with NHGRI for DNA Day,
-
is a publicly accessible database of scientists and
counselors who have volunteered to visit K-12
classrooms across the US and other countries to
speak about genetics, and
-
is a valuable asset to genetics education.
|
ASHG’s efforts to promote K-12 education in our
communities is now known as the Genetics Education
and Outreach (GEO) Network. |
In 2005, the number of mentors peaked at
approximately 1250 members. Unfortunately, as soon
as the ASHG Education Office started to publicize
this opportunity to teachers around the country, we
just as quickly started to receive complaints that
information in the database was not accurate and
mentors were not responding to requests. Moreover,
teachers simply weren’t “catching on” to the name.
Even our own members suggested that the term
“mentor” might not be the right approach since it
implies a long-term relationship.
Thus, ASHG’s efforts to promote K-12 education in
our communities was renamed the Genetics Education
and Outreach Network. During this process we wrote
to all our members and asked them to update their
information. Individuals who did not respond to
these e-mails were removed from our database and the
new “GEO” was born with approximately 500 members.
Our members can be asked at any time to visit a K-12
classroom in their area. They are also contacted
about participation in our DNA Day activities,
including the Middle and High School Essay Contests.
We hope to soon begin to recruit and review genetics
education tools and resources for K-12 classrooms.
Members of the GEO Network can volunteer to serve in
this review process also.
If you are interested in joining the GEO Network,
please visit the
Network’s website.
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|
BEN There, Done That: Share
Teaching Resources with the Community |
Have a great idea for a laboratory that you know
others could use? Have a nice way to teach
imprinting that you would like to share with the
community? Ever desperately needed a figure or
animation to incorporate into your siRNA lecture?
The most recent answer for individuals looking for
learning objects in the public domain online are
digital libraries. The most popular digital library
for learning objects in the sciences is the
National
Science Digital Library, NSDL. The
Biosciences
Education Network (BEN) is the portal for all
those interested in submitting or finding resources
in the life sciences. ASHG has recently joined BEN,
being a small subset of contributors to the life
sciences with assets in genetics education.
Here at ASHG, we want to increase genetics content
in the digital library. This means that in the next
couple of months we will be recruiting members of
the ASHG community to contribute to the library by
submitting teaching resources or serving as a peer
reviewer. This digital library is a valuable
resource for educators at all levels primarily
because all content is peer reviewed by the
submitting society before it goes into the library.
So, start thinking of content you may have in your
teaching portfolio that would be suitable for
submission to the library. There is a broad range of
resources that can be contributed to BEN, including
animations or images from your work, PowerPoint
lectures (please note that all images must have
citations), course plans, journal articles, test
questions, student response system questions,
curricula, activities, or assignments.
Access to BEN is free although registration is
required. For easy review of the library, BEN has
several browse and search options. BEN also invites
undergraduate faculty to apply to become BEN
Scholars. BEN Scholars are trained to promote
digital libraries and inquiry-based learning in the
higher education atmosphere.
As you wait to hear more about how ASHG will
interface with BEN, we encourage you to explore the
BEN site and direct any questions to
Katie Van
Horne, ASHG’s Educational Programs Associate,
who will interface with the BEN Collaborative.
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|
ASHG Board of Directors Election Results
Announced
We thank the 1120 active members who voted
in this year’s election (approximately 25%
of eligible voters). We are always looking
to improve participation in ASHG activities,
including the election. If you have ideas
for how to improve participation next year,
please visit the ASHG forums and respond to
the ASHG-only posting on the election
process.
 2009
President
Edward McCabe, MD, PhD
Directors
(three new Directors are
elected each year to a three-year term)
|
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|
GENA Project Participants
Encourage Colleagues to Apply |
The first full year of funding for the
Geneticist-Educator Network of Alliances (GENA)
grant has just ended. After attending a three-day
professional development workshop with their
teacher-partners, ASHG and GSA geneticists have
worked for the past several weeks to develop a
learning cycle in genetics for the high school
classroom. Over the next school year they will
implement these learning cycles in the classroom and
disseminate what they have designed and learned to
the genetics community at large.
|
“We need to spark the interest of our young
scientists sooner rather than later, in order to
make this a viable and sustainable career path. It
seems to me that the GENA Project represents a novel
and dynamic approach toward a specific educational
objective.” -Dan Sharer |
As ASHG/GSA prepares to screen applications for the
40 spots open for the two 2008 workshops, we
welcomed comments from our first cohort of
participants about their experiences so far with the
program. Dan Sharer noted the importance of the
project for all those who understand and support the
opportunities inherent to future generations of
scientists and educators.
The principal concern of most of the geneticist
partners of the grant was not about the importance
or need for working with K-12 educators. Instead, it
was the simple question of time. Busy in the clinic,
in the lab, with their trainees, and writing grants,
the geneticists were simply concerned about the
amount of time that involvement would require. Julie
Hoover-Fong described how her concerns were assuaged
and recommended the program to some of her
colleagues: “I really enjoyed the workshop and
learned a lot about real 'teaching theory' that will
be useful to me in general teaching of med students
and residents. Also the planners and PI, Kenna Shaw,
have done a lot to ensure that it isn't a huge time
commitment to the geneticists, but optimized the
opportunity to get academic papers out of the
project and formal recognition within each of our
institutions for participating in this grant-funded
research endeavor.”
The GENA program will sponsor two workshops in the
summer of 2008. The dates of these workshops are
still to be announced but are likely to be at the
end of July and at the beginning of August. If you
are interested in participating in the program, you
are invited to
apply online.
All applications are due by December 1, 2007.
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Position Opening
Title: Assistant/Associate Professor
in Human Genetics
Description: The Department of Basic
Medical Science seeks outstanding candidates
for two, full-time, tenure-track, faculty
(Assistant/Associate Professor) positions at
the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)
School of Medicine. Successful candidates
are expected to work closely with Dr. Hong-Wen
Deng in developing a comprehensive research
program in genetic studies of complex human
diseases at UMKC. This growing program will
encompass all relevant research fields
related to identifying and characterizing
genes and their functional contribution to
complex human disorders, which may include
statistical genetics, molecular genetics,
gene functional studies, functional genomics
and proteomics, etc. These two positions are
immediately available and the qualified
candidates are expected to start their work
at UMKC by September 1, 2008 at the latest.
Generous start-up packages and competitive
salaries are available.
Qualifications: Applicants must have
a doctoral degree in a relevant academic
discipline, postdoctoral experience, a solid
publication record of original research in
peer-reviewed journals, and significant
potential to develop an independent,
extramurally funded research program.
Research experience in at least one of the
following areas is preferred: population
based association studies of complex human
diseases, population genetics, microarray
data analysis, proteomics, and gene
functional analysis. Research experience in
human osteoporosis and obesity is a plus.
Contact: Send curriculum vitae, a
summary of research experience, future
research plans, and the names, addresses,
email addresses, and telephone numbers of
three references to Amy Gilmore (gilmoreac@umkc.edu).
Application Deadline: Applications
will be accepted until the position has been
filled.
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Many Thanks and Good Wishes |
Kenna Shaw
Kenna Shaw, PhD, formerly ASHG’s Director of
Education, has recently accepted a position with
Nature Publishing Group (NPG) and will serve as
Executive Editor at Nature Education, a new venture
of NPG. She will be responsible for all the content
of this new program.
Kenna has made some remarkable contributions to
ASHG. Tops on the list is winning a $1.1 million NSF
grant called Geneticist-Educator Network of
Alliances (GENA). GENA is a partnership between the
ASHG, GSA, the National Science Resources Center and
the National Association of Biology Teachers. This
partnership is using the broad theme of genetics to
build a framework to form long-term collaborations
between educators and scientists and a sustainable
infrastructure to support meaningful outreach by
scientists in the high school science classroom.
In addition to being the originator of SNP-IT
(and its primary contributor), Kenna has also
completely overhauled the genetics education portion
of the ASHG Web site to include K-12 education,
Undergraduate Education, Graduate/Postdoc Training,
Careers and Beyond, and Consumer Education. She has
completed and posted comprehensive interviews with
numerous ASHG members who represent the many
different types of positions one could pursue in the
field of human genetics. She created the ASHG Member
Forums to facilitate opportunities for online
collaboration. Of primary importance, she compiled
an exhaustive list of required curriculum content in
each of the 50 United States including Canada,
making it very user friendly and available to all
science teachers everywhere.
We will greatly miss Kenna, and thank her for her
enthusiasm and passion for excellence in her work.
We wish her the very best!
Jane Salomon Nelson
Jane Salomon Nelson, MS, will be retiring at the end of
2007, after more than 19 years of service to ASHG.
While her title has been “Special Projects Manager”
she has managed a great deal, including the
nominations and election process and the Awards
Committee activities. She has been responsible for
the Press Room and the Advocates Program at the
Annual Meeting, and has helped plan and organize
other aspects of the Meeting, including trainee
events. It will only be after she has moved on that
we will know exactly how much she coordinated, but
she has graciously left her phone number for
emergency contact!
We wish Jane all the best, and sincerely thank her
for her many years of good-natured dedication to
ASHG.
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SNP-IT is published online four times a year,
in February, May, August and November. Copyright by
The American Society of Human Genetics.
Please direct all SNP-IT inquiries to
Kristen Long, Communications Manager, at
klong@ashg.org
For Society information, please
contact the ASHG Administrative Office, 9650
Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3998. Telephone:
301-634-7300; fax: 301-634-7090,
society@ashg.org
or visit ASHG on the Web:
www.ashg.org |
