Scientific Session Types at the ASHG Annual Meeting

ASHG 2025 will take place Tuesday, October 14, through Saturday, October 18, in Boston, Massachusetts. The meeting provides a forum for the presentation and discussion of cutting-edge science in all areas of human genetics and genomics. Please see descriptions of all scientific session types below.
Featured Symposium
Featured Symposia are member-proposed sessions addressing the state of science on a specific topic of interest. Each 90-minute session is comprised of four talks, typically followed by Q&A or panel discussion. Featured Symposia are open to all scientific attendees at the Annual Meeting.
Interactive Workshops

To register for online workshops, visit the ASHG Learning Center.
To register for in-person workshops, add the workshop to your ASHG Annual Meeting registration.
Plenary Abstract Sessions
The Program Committee selects 15 of the top-scoring abstract submissions to be presented in plenary sessions at the Annual Meeting. Speakers will each give a 13-minute talk on their latest research in topics of interest to the wider ASHG community. A five-minute Q&A period will follow each talk.
Platform Abstract Sessions

Poster Sessions
More than 3,000 abstracts are presented as posters, grouped by topic in the Exhibit & Poster Hall. Each poster will be displayed for one day only, and the presenter will be available at their poster during the poster session on that day. Those who score in the top 10% of posters receive a Reviewers’ Choice Award designation.
Lightning Talks
New in 2025, Lightning Talk sessions highlight the top-scoring poster abstracts in an oral presentation. In addition to presenting their poster in the poster hall, speakers selected for Lightning Talks will each give a three-minute talk followed by two minutes for Q&A.
Distinguished Speakers Symposium
This special session, organized by the Program Committee, closes the Annual Meeting by featuring leaders in the human genetics and genomics community in a series of exciting talks related to the future of human genetics followed by Q&A. Learn more about our 2025 session!
Presidential Symposium
This special session organized by the ASHG President addresses a topic the President finds particularly relevant, pressing, or novel in the human genetics and genomics research community. Learn more about our 2025 session!
