Tuesday, April 7, 2020, 10:40 am (register by March 27)
NIH Porter Neuroscience Center (Building 35), Rooms 610/620/630
RNA biology has emerged as one of the most influential areas in modern biology and biomedicine. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is home to a wide spectrum of work in RNA biology, such as elucidating RNA biogenesis and structure, identifying functions for various classes of RNAs, establishing the role of RNA in disease, and exploring RNA-based and RNA-targeted therapies.
This workshop will focus on how basic steps in RNA metabolism are carried out and are integrated into a complex intracellular environment. It aims to bring together experts in the field to describe recent advances in methodologies used to understand subcellular RNA distribution, organization, and function; discuss the impact they have had on current models; and identify key areas of future development.
Registration for this event will close on March 27, 2020, or once conference capacity has been reached. Registration is free, but please register early to ensure a seat at the conference.
Thursday, April 16, 2020 to Friday, April 17, 2020 (register by April 3)
NIH Porter Neuroscience Research Center (Building 35), Room 610/620/630
Cancer health disparities affect millions of people across the United States. Disparities in cancer burden are evident by geography, race/ethnicity, genetic ancestry, immigrant status, culture, gender, sexual orientation (LGBTQ+), and socioeconomic class, among other factors. Cancer disparities are not only due to barriers in access to health care, but also due to cultural barriers, environmental disadvantage, ancestry-related risk factors, persistent co-morbidities, and chronic stress exposure because of discrimination and social isolation. For example, migration studies provided strong evidence that the environment defines cancer risk whereas additional findings from population studies suggest that differences in genetic ancestry can lead to population differences in cancer susceptibility. One such mechanism by which environmental and ancestry-related factors affect health outcomes is by inducing an adverse tumor biology, leading to an increased tumor mutational burden and an altered immune profile.
This symposium will present recent advances in our understanding of the causes of cancer health disparities in rural populations and among Native Americans, focus on the roles of financial toxicity and the tumor immune profile in causing outcome disparities and discuss evidence-based strategies to reduce these disparities, including novel approaches to prevention and precision medicine.
The deadline for registration is April 3, 2020. The deadline for abstract submission is January 31, 2020.
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Tuesday, April 28, 2020, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm
NIH Natcher Conference Center (Building 45)
Postbac Poster Day is an opportunity of NIH's postbaccalaureate IRTA research fellows to present the research they have been conducting at the NIH and develop their communication and networking skills. We encourage all current NIH postbacs in the Bethesda area, Baltimore, Frederick, and Research Triangle Park (NC) to present at this event. Posters will share background information on each project, present any data the postbac may have collected, and discuss the technical problems encountered as well as any results. The event will also feature a keynote address and the presentation of the Distinguished Mentor Award.
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 to Thursday, May 28, 2020 (registration required)
National Cancer Institute (NCI) Shady Grove campus, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850
The Hispanic/Latino population, one of the fastest growing minority populations in the U.S., is estimated to reach 119 million by 2060. This diverse population (by country of origin, ancestry and race) and the anticipated demographic shift (e.g., immigrant vs. U.S.-born) may represent significant implications for cancer burden in the U.S. Some Hispanic populations have higher incidence and mortality rates for cancers of the liver, stomach, cervix, and gallbladder compared to other U.S. race/ethnic groups. The higher incidence and mortality rates of these cancers parallel observations for cancer burden in several Latin American countries. We do not fully understand the etiology that contributes to these differential cancer rates.
This NCI-sponsored workshop will consider the challenges, identify opportunities, and develop ideas for increasing Hispanic representation in cancer epidemiological studies. Three overarching objectives will govern the meeting: to identify scientific gaps and opportunities for cancer epidemiologic research in Hispanic populations, to encourage the use of existing resources and identify gaps in resources to enable cancer epidemiological research in Hispanic populations, and to facilitate and coordinate cross-discipline collaboration to inform research in Hispanic populations.
Monday, June 1, 2020 to Friday, June 26, 2020 (apply by March 1)
NIH Bethesda campus
The Summer Genetics Institute (SGI) is a tuition-free one-month intensive research training program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Applications will be accepted from now until March 1, 2020. Sponsored by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), the SGI provides participants with a foundation in molecular genetics appropriate for use in research and clinical practice. The program seeks to increase the research capability among graduate students and faculty and to develop and expand clinical practice in genetics among clinicians. The SGI features lectures and hands-on laboratory training. Last year's class completed 50 lectures and 10 lab sessions. On completion of the program, participants receive eight hours of graduate-level college credit.
Over 425 SGI graduates are making a difference in communities across the country — building programs of nursing research in genetics; disseminating the results of genetics-related research in peer-reviewed scientific publications and at scientific conferences; and integrating genetics content in nursing school curricula and practice.
Wednesday, June 10, 2020, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
NIH Clinical Center (Building 10), Lipsett Amphitheater
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has one named lecture each year — The Jeffrey M. Trent Lectureship in Cancer Research. The 2020 Trent Lecture will be given by Sharon E. Plon, M.D., Ph.D., FACMG, Professor of Pediatrics/Hematology-Oncology and Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Plon is a board-certified medical geneticist and a longstanding cancer genetics researcher. Traditionally, new cancer susceptibility discoveries derived from research-based sequencing of samples from banked cohorts of patients likely to have cancer predisposition. Since 2012, Dr. Plon has engaged in multiple precision oncology studies where both research and CLIA-based tumor/germline sequencing has been performed in heterogeneous adult and pediatric cancer populations including TCGA, BASIC3, the NCI/COG Pediatric MATCH Trial, and most recently the Texas KidsCanSeq Study. Dr. Plon will report on new insights provided into the proportion of cancer patients with underlying cancer predisposition and unexpected gene/disease associations, as well as optimal ways to report these results to patients and parents of childhood cancer patients. Dr. Plon will also report on population-based analysis of the association of birth defects with pediatric cancer and early results on whole genome analysis of subjects first engaged through this epidemiology study.
Monday, June 22, 2020, 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm (registration required)
NIH Natcher Conference Center (Building 45)
The Division of Intramural Research (DIR) at the NIH's National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) will convene a half-day symposium to mark a milestone anniversary of its Summer Genetics Institute (SGI). The symposium will include keynote addresses, scientific presentations, a scientific panel discussion, and a research poster session. It will highlight SGI graduates’ many accomplishments and showcase the positive impact of this program in accelerating genetics and genomics in nursing science.
The Summer Genetics Institute celebrates 20 years of providing nurse scientists with a foundation in molecular genetics appropriate for use in research and clinical practice. Nearly 450 SGI graduates are making a difference in communities across the country — building programs of nursing research in genetics, disseminating the results of genetics-related research in peer-reviewed scientific publications and at scientific conferences, and integrating genetics content in nursing school curricula and nursing practice.
