PROF SIDDHARTH BANKA
co-sponsored by AACG

Sid is a Professor of Genomic Medicine and Rare Diseases at the University of Manchester, a Consultant Clinical Geneticist at the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine and Clinical Director of the Manchester Rare Conditions Centre. His current research programs focus on novel disease-gene discovery​; improving diagnosis through innovative data analysis and multi-omic approaches​; understanding mechanisms and natural history of developmental diseases; and performing therapeutic clinical trials. He co-leads the Rare Conditions theme of the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, the EpiGenRare node of the MRC UK Rare Disease Research Platform, and NHSE Rare Disease Genomics Network of Excellence.

A/PROF HEATHER ZIERHUT
co-sponsored by ASGC

Dr. Heather Zierhut is the Immediate Past President of the National Society of Genetic Counselors’ Board of Directors. She is the head of the University of Minnesota’s Genetic Counseling Graduate program and is a professor in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota. Heather received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse and earned her master’s degree in genetic counselling from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and doctorate in philosophy - focused in molecular, cellular, developmental biology and genetics - with an epidemiology minor. 

PROF JONG-HEE CHAE

PROG GORDANA RACA
co-sponsored by ASDG

Dr Raca is the Director of Cytogenomics at the Center for Personalized Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Professor of Clinical Pathology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr Raca’s research and clinical interests are focused on genetic and genomic abnormalities in hematologic malignancies, and on the use of cytogenomic and molecular techniques (including Chromosomal Microarrays,  Next Generation Sequencing and Optical Genome Mapping)   for detection of copy number changes and balanced rearrangements in genomic DNA. Dr Raca is the Past-President of the Cancer Genomics Consortium and currently serves on the Children’s Oncology Group Cytogenetics Steering Committee, American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Laboratory Quality Assurance Committee  and ClinGen Somatic Working Group.  

PROF LESLIE BURNETT
HGSA Oration

DR (ELIZABETH) EMMA PALMER
Sutherland Lecture

Dr (Elizabeth) Emma Palmer is a university lecturer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and Clinical Geneticist at Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. Dr Palmer is passionate about improving the patient journey for all with rare genetic conditions and their families. Her work aims to improve the recognition of the possibility of genetic conditions by improving clinician education about rare diseases, maximising the diagnostic yield of genetic tests and optimising patient care by linking families to best practice guidelines, treatments and supports. Dr Palmer strives to ensure that the patient and family voice is always central to all her research. She has over 100 peer reviewed journal articles, including those describing nine new genetic conditions.