Posted by: Nancy Cox, PhD, ASHG President
One of our colleagues selected to give a platform presentation at ASHG 2017 will not be able to join us in Orlando. Arvin Haghighatfard, a graduate student at the Islamic Azad University, is unable to travel from his home in Iran due to new restrictions on travel to the United States.
Throughout my presidency this year, I have spoken out about how the new rules limiting travel to the United States threaten to undermine scientific progress both in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. Science is an inherently international endeavor and the Society strongly opposes the imposition of undue restrictions on scientists’ travel. As an organization representing human genetics specialists worldwide, we consider international travel a major and integral part of our enterprise.
The difficulties that Mr. Haghighatfard has experienced are exactly the kind of situation we feared. Upon learning of his unfortunate experience, we contacted the Department of State on his behalf to raise our concerns, but without success. Given these exceptional circumstances, I believe it is important that we provide Mr. Haghighatfard the opportunity to present his work, so we have arranged for him to conduct his presentation remotely.
I fear that there may also be other geneticists in Iran or elsewhere who cannot attend the meeting because of the travel restrictions. When we gather in Orlando later this month, I hope we spend a moment to think of those in our global genetics family who are unable to join us.
Nancy Cox, PhD, ASHG President, directs the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute and is a Mary Phillips Edmonds Gray Professor of Genetics. She is also the Director of and a Professor of Medicine in the Vanderbilt Division of Genetic Medicine.