Featured Symposia

Featured Symposia ASHG2023

Questions: programs@ashg.org

Looking to make your mark on the ASHG Annual Meeting? 2026 members may propose a Featured Symposium on a topic that excites you and engages attendees. Featured Symposia are member-curated sessions spotlighting hot topics and emerging science. They include 4 expert talks + Q&A in a 90-minute session. Showcase the science you want to see—let’s create a memorable meeting together!

Submit Your Proposal

Submission Site Closes: January 20, 2026, 5pm ET

Before You Start
  1. Contact all participants of your proposed session to ensure the following:
    1. availability to present in person at the 2026 Annual Meeting
    2. agreement with ASHG policies, submission attestations, and proposal guidelines
    3. talk titles, talk descriptions, and learning objectives
    4. all participants’ ASHG membership status and preferred email address (must be the same email used for their ASHG account whether they are a member or not)
  2. Join ASHG or renew your membership. Both moderators must be 2026 ASHG members.
  3. Review the step-by-step instructions as well as all guidelines listed on this webpage to prepare the necessary information for the proposal.
  4. Ask the Program Committee and ASHG staff any questions you have. You are encouraged to work with the Program Committee in advance to refine your proposal.
Tips for a Strong Proposal
  • Choose the right theme. Proposals that do well have a cohesive, overarching theme that has not been presented at recent meetings. Topics should have broad appeal to ASHG meeting attendees.
  • Choose the right speakers. Competitive proposals involve presenters who push the field forward while offering unique and diverse perspectives on the topic of focus.
  • Craft clear descriptions. Successful proposals include a clear, detailed description and four talks featuring novel research and data-driven results. Each speaker’s talk must align with the overall session theme and include recent data.
Topics of Interest
  • The Program Committee will prioritize novel content that has not previously been presented at ASHG Annual Meetings, particularly in the following topics:
    • Artificial intelligence combined with experiments
    • Current and emerging challenges in managing biobanks, both within individual institutions and across collaborative networks
    • Cancer genetics, with a focus on tumor genomes
    • Locus-specific architecture of complex traits: moving GWAS catalogs to causal variant catalogs
    • Economic impact of prevention
    • Relating evolution to more modern disease and variant function
    • Evolutionary approaches to biological and clinical insights from phylogeny or recent human/primate lineages
    • Next-gen challenges to genetic engineering
    • Use of model organisms in human genetics
    • Rare disease
    • Therapy advances and challenges in treatment development
Reviewer Evaluation
  • All proposals undergo a blinded review (no participant names are included) by the Program Committee.
  • A subset of proposals is first reviewed by the Engagement and Opportunity Committee or the Professional Practice and Social Implications Committee.
  • Reviewers evaluate proposals based on this rubric (coming soon).
Timeline
  • November 10: Submissions open
  • January 20, 5pm ET: Submissions due
  • Mid-January through March: Program Committee Review
    • Proposers may be asked to revise their proposal during the review period. This does not guarantee acceptance.
  • Late March: Notifications sent to proposers