About
Summer Genetics and Omics Academy
The Molecular Center of Health and Disease, through the “Summer Genetics and Omics Academy” offers a lecture series to provide vital education in the area of genetics and different omics technologies (genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics). The main goals are:
- Increase the number of biomedical researchers, physicians, and medical professionals who understand genetic concepts, omics technologies, and the future of genomic medicine.
- Help research faculty gain important knowledge and insight into omics technology to lead to more innovative grant applications, establish new directions for established unfunded investigators, and promote the utility of omics technology.
- Help expand the knowledge of undergraduate, graduate and medical students by offering participation in the academy to those involved in other UMMC programs (upon approval of summer mentors), including SURE Program, MSRP, and Project Baby Magnolia Research Scholars.
The Summer Academy will be offered each year during the May-August period over an 8-week period. The core curriculum will introduce basic genetic concepts, omics technology, and extend into applications of basic research and patient care. There are 3 optional tracks for additional information based on interest, including human subject research and genetic studies (track 1), topics in host-pathogen interactions (track 2), and data science/computational aspects of genetic and omics analysis (track 3). In addition, participants will be able to schedule an observership with the UMMC Molecular and Genomics Core Facility to experience real-word applications of the omics technologies across both basic and clinical research projects.
Schedule for 2025 Summer Genetics and Omics Academy
| Session | Core Topics | Instructor | Date | Time | Location |
| 1 | Foundations in Genetics and Omics | Maryam Syed, PhD | 6/3/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| 2 | Recent Advances in Omics Technology | Michael Garrett, PhD, MBA Cell & Molecular Biology | 6/10/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| 3 | Human Disease Continuum: From Rare to Complex Disease | Maryam Syed, PhD | 6/17/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| 4 | Applications of Genetics and Omics in Basic Research and Clinical Practice | Mauricio DeCastro, MD, FACMG Pediatrics | 6/24/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| 5 | Advances in Adult Genetic Testing | Pawel Pomianowski, MD Medicine | 7/1/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| 6 | Advances in Perinatal/Pediatric Genetic Testing | Laura Hendon, MA, MS, CGC Pediatrics & Ob-Gyn | 7/8/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| 7 | Gene-Editing, Gene Therapy, and Clinical Implications | Channabasavaiah Gurumurthy, PhD Cell & Molecular Biology | 7/15/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| 8 | Bench to Bedside- Gene Variants to Genetic Counseling | Mauricio DeCastro, MD, FACMG | 7/22/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| Session | Track 1 Topics | Instructor | Date | Time | Location |
| T1A | Human Research Protocol Submission | Sheila Belk, MD, MSCI, CCRC UMMC Biobank | 6/5/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| T1B | Identifying Genetic Factors: From Studying Individuals to Populations | Hao Mei, PhD, MD, MS Data Science | 6/12/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| T1C | All of Us Research Program and Application for Understanding Disease | Jeannette Simino, PhD Data Science | 6/19/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| Session | Track 2 Topics | Instructor | Date | Time | Location |
| T2A | Pathogens and Genomic Methodologies | D. Ashley Robinson, PhD Cell & Molecular Biology | 7/3/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| T2B | Host-Pathogens (Bacterial and Viral) Interactions in Disease | Brigitte Martin, PhD Cell & Molecular Biology | 7/10/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| Session | Track 3 Topics | Instructor | Date | Time | Location |
| T3A | Introduction to Bioinformatics | Eric Vallender, PhD Psychiatry | 6/26/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| T3B | Processing and Analysis of Genomic Datasets - WGS, Exome, RNA sequencing | Lavanya Challagundla, PhD Cell & Molecular Biology | 7/17/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |
| T3C | Data Mining Public Omics Databases | Lavanya Challagundla, PhD Cell & Molecular Biology | 7/24/25 | 3 - 4 pm | Classroom 3A |