The Technical University of Munich (Germany), Imperial College London (UK), and the Aswan Heart Center (Egypt) will host an international and interdisciplinary autumn school: Epi/Genomic Medicine and Health Equity: Bridging Gaps Between Research and Practice.
When:
Week 1: 20.- 22.10.2021 | 5 – 8pm (CEST) + 23.10.2021 | 10 am – 1 pm
Week 2: 27 – 29. 10. 2021 | 5-8pm (CEST)
Where: virtual (Zoom)
Topics: Genomics and Epigenomics for Health, Genomics in a Global Context, Global Health & Global Health Ethics, A.I. for Health, Rethinking Science Communication
Registration deadline extended: 30 September 2021
Notification of Acceptance: End of September/Beginning of October
The autumn school will be free of charge.
Genomics and epigenomics have become crucial approaches to understanding health and illness. While genomics traces how the underlying biology of individuals shape their chances for health, epigenomics captures how environmental experiences and exposures affect gene expression and thus disease development. Together with big data and AI technologies, these approaches are considered key for improving health care and disease prevention and treatment now and in the future.
Both genomics and epigenomics raise a number of social, ethical and political questions: genetic testing, for example, has been linked to the risk of genetic discrimination. Epigenetic exposures are unequally distributed in society: it is often the most disadvantaged and vulnerable populations in societies who are most exposed to toxins, infectious agents, antimicrobial resistance, social stress and who have limited access to healthy foods, appropriate treatment and green spaces, which has strong impact on the current global health situation. With these considerations, the question emerges: how we can ensure that epi/genomic medicine ultimately benefits society and increases health equity rather than neglecting and stigmatizing those who are most vulnerable?
In this virtual TUM-Imperial autumn school, we will bring together life scientists, biomedical experts, social scientists and ethicists to address these questions. We have developed an interdisciplinary teaching module that offers state of the art teaching on epi/genomic medicine and its social, ethical and political opportunities and challenges. The course offers an interactive and dynamic format inviting interested post grad students and young professionals (medical and post grad students, master students, PhDs, engineers and data scientists, clinician scientists and postdocs) of all relevant disciplines at TUM (Germany), Imperial College (UK) and from Aswan Heart Centre network (Egypt).
A key aspect of the course is its communicative and interactive nature. From the start you will be involved in discussion, exploring not just our experts’ views, but also your own. The organisers of the course are committed to the belief that ethical scientific innovation depends on open discussion and the building of trust between scientists and the public. In the building of that trust, scientific culture itself – how science conducts itself – is an important matter for scientists to consider and debate. Ethics, professional value, understanding the science and skills relevant to the field will therefore be underlying themes of the course. In debating them you can expect to develop a thorough understanding of the impact of genetics and epigenetics in reducing health inequities, ethical awareness and skills in science communication.
You can find more information here.