Genomics education and training on a global stage
Experts from 49 countries gathered in Cambridge to learn, share and connect as part of an international community
On Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 November, NHS England’s chief scientific officer and senior responsible officer for genomics Professor Dame Sue Hill and National Genomics Education programme head and clinical director Professor Kate Tatton-Brown hosted the ground-breaking International Genomics Education and Training Summit.
Around 90 delegates from more than 40 countries came together at the UK’s home of genomics, the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridge, to participate in a packed programme of expert-led sessions and facilitated workshops. Delegates were also able to view examples of fantastic work taking place around the world in a poster exhibition, as well as hear patient perspectives through films and poetry by parents and families affected by a rare condition.
Local projects on an international stage
On the first day of the summit, invited speakers talked about their efforts to increase the healthcare workforce’s engagement with genomics. Discussions centred around existing and ongoing country-specific projects, as well as the challenges affecting genomics uptake.
Delegates heard about the national efforts in Japan, Chile, Czech Republic, USA, Qatar, Australia and England, as well as border-crossing viewpoints in the South Asia and pan-African talks.
Evaluation and collaboration
Evaluation techniques and international collaborations were the focus for the second and final day. Delegates heard about the importance of evaluating and measuring the impact of education and training initiatives in genomics and were asked to consider different approaches in the following workshops.
In the final session, discussions focused on partnerships and global networks and how these groups can work together.
Next steps
All those who attended hailed the summit as a huge success and agreed they would like to see the discussions and knowledge sharing continue.
The summit ended with a universal commitment to the creation of a global community of practice. A full report on the agreed outcomes and actions will be published in early 2024.
