David S. Rosenblatt is a world leader in multiple facets of human genetics, including research, clinical practice, and education. As a professor of Human Genetics, Medicine, Pediatrics, and Biology at McGill University in Montreal, Dr. Rosenblatt has made major contributions to genetics research, adding to our knowledge of inherited metabolic diseases. As chair of the university’s Department of Human Genetics for the past 11 years, Dr. Rosenblatt has built an outstanding department that has achieved international prominence for research as well as the education of basic and clinical scientists, clinical and laboratory geneticists, and genetic counselors.

Since 2000, he and his collaborators have identified the genes for five disorders, leading to a more complete understanding of vitamin metabolism and better approaches to detect carriers and diagnose these disorders. Dr. Rosenblatt directs one of only two referral laboratories in the world for patients born with metabolic diseases related to folic acid and VitaminB12.

Dr. Rosenblatt has served as President of the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders, the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of Medical Geneticists of Quebec. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a Correspondant etranger of the Academie Nationale de Medecine of France.

Bartha Maria Knoppers is a lawyer, Canada’s leading bioethicist, and a world authority on the ethical aspects of genetics, genomics and biotechnology. Dr. Knoppers founded the international Population Project in Genomics and Society (P3G) with the goal of coordinating international efforts and expertise in the policy area of genomics and the impact on human health. She also launched the CARTaGENE bio-bank project in Quebec. Through CARTaGENE, scientists collect soda-demographic and medical data from across the province and bank it for future research.

Dr. Knoppers’s career in genetics and ethics reaches back to the 1990s when she served on the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO, the United Nations organization that drafted the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights. Since then she has played key roles in Genome Canada, Genome Quebec and the Canadian Stem Cell Network.

Currently Dr. Knoppers holds the Canada Research Chair in Law and Medicine at McGill University and she is the director of the Centre of Genomics and Policy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics. Along with a host of other honours, Dr. Knoppers is also chair of the Ethics Working Party of the International Stem Cell Forum, the co-chair of the Sampling/ELSI Committee of the 1 000 Genomes Project, and a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the International Cancer Genome Consortium.

http://www.mcgill.ca/anatomy/stem-cell-renewal-theory

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MESSAGE SENT TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS
ON BEHALF OF DR. MICHAEL SHEVELL

Read Message From Dr. Michael Shevell

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Genomics in Metabolism – Copenhagen Bioscience Conference, November 2013

Type 2 Diabetes is a world pandemic with complex aetiology but clearly, genetic and environmental factors are important contributors. New challenges are now in an integrated understanding of these factors and their possible interaction. The Genomics in Metabolism conference is aiming at providing an original perspective of the upcoming Genomics Era which will embrace Genetics, Epigenetics and Metagenomics.

https://www.cph-bioscience.com/GenomicsInMetabolism/Pages/default.aspx

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Academic Positions in Calgary

The Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI) invite applications for full-time academic positions in Child Health Genomics. These positions represent a major investment in genomic research and the successful applicants will join a program with a vision to develop an internationally recognized program in Child Health Genomics. Dynamic scientists at all career stages keen to join a growing and vibrant research team are encouraged to apply.

For more information, please click here.

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GAPPS Repository Pregnancy Specimens and Data Available to Researchers

The GAPPS Repository comprises pregnancy specimens and linked phenotypic data that are widely-accessible to researchers. Using GAPPS Repository samples, you can pursue research studies without the burden of creating a unique cohort of pregnant women.  These samples are a valuable resource for researchers in many fields, including genetics, epidemiology, pathophysiology, translational science, fetal origins of adult diseases, and healthcare delivery.

Read More About It!

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Postdoc and PhD Position

Dr. Brent Richards and his research team at McGill are in the process of recruiting PhD candidates and Postdoctoral Fellows in Genetics or Clinical Epidemiology. The applicant will work with a highly qualified and international team of researchers to identify the genetic determinants of common diseases and undertake pharmacogenetic clinical trials.

As a member of the research team, you will be able to access genome-wide genotyping of 5,800 individuals phenotyped for several hundred traits and 1,900 individuals that have been genome-wide sequenced.  Moreover, we recently completed whole exome sequencing on several hundred individuals and exome chip data on 1,000. In addition, we are undertaking pharmacogenetic clinical trials to understand if drug targets, identified through genetics, are helpful in treating common disease.

Requirements:

• Master’s degree (M.Sc) in Epidemiology, Genetics or Biostatistics
• Candidates with a clinical degree (M.D.) are especially encouraged to apply (including those receiving MDs in other       countries)
• Having a strong statistical background, or experience handling large datasets and publications in genetics, or genetic epidemiology, will be an advantage
• Knowledge of Bioinformatics and programming skills are an asset
• Proficiency in English is essential
• International applicants are welcome.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.mcgill.ca/genepi/student-recruitment

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(Photo: Jaesung Kim, Alison Brebner, Moria Belanger, Peg Illson, Lena Dolman, Tracy Wang, Kush Prithipaul, Wayne Mah,  Francis Petrella)

 Message from Moria Belanger:

Hi Everyone,

I would like to thank everyone who came out to skate, cheer, and donate on Saturday for the Free Skate/Shootout to support CanSupport.  It was immensely successful and over $300 were raised! Special thanks to Francis for being our goalie and for booking the ice time, as well as to everyone who brought extra skates and helmets for people to use.  I had a great time and I hope that everyone else did too! Congratulations on the trophy Alison! Hip hip hooray!  I hope we can do this again!

Cheers,

Moria

September 4, 2012:
2:00 pm  - Orientation Session for New Students 
3:00 pm  - Welcome Back/General Info Session for New AND Returning Students
4:30 pm –  Cocktail/Wine & Cheese Party for all students, faculty and staff

These information sessions are very important and we expect all students to make every effort to attend.  We also hope that you will be able to stay for the cocktail immediately thereafter.  Faculty members are always welcome and encouraged to attend the information sessions, and please plan to come and say good bye to Thomas.

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Important: Don’t forget to defer your tuition and fees by the end of August on Minerva!  Please see the following link regarding:
Tuition & Fees Payment Deferral
Deadlines and penalties

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A fantastic advanced genetics course:  http://www.eurogene.org/?p=corsi&cc=next&m=3&s=2
Very highly recommended by Dr. Koenekoop.

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You are invited to a free-skate this Saturday, August 4th, at 5:00 PM to benefit the Cedars Cancer Institute Fuller Landau “Rain or Shine” Dragon Boat Race and Festival Fundraiser.
Our purpose is to raise funds and awareness for Cedars CanSupport which provides free psychological and emotional support, practical information, and financial assistance to cancer patients and their families at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).  We are having a fundraiser this Saturday, August 4th, at 5:00 PM at the Aréna Roberto Luongo in St. Leonard.  It will consist of a friendly shoot-out followed by a “Free-Skate” where donations would be accepted and most appreciated.  Everyone is welcome to come with their skates and beat the heat during an hour of restful skating.  Reminder: please bring a helmet if you wish to skate for liability issues. 

The arena is located at the following address:
Aréna Roberto Luongo
7755 rue Colbert
Saint-Léonard
QC H1R2B6

All are welcome so invite your friends and family! 

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 Course: Advances in Human Genetics
Theme: Cancer Genomics

The course will have three subthemes:

1- Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics (Yasser Riazalhosseini)

2- High-throughput approaches in Cancer Genomics (Jacek Majewski)

3- Clinical applications of Genetics in hereditary cancers (Patricia Tonin)

The course will cover topics related to cancer genomics including cancer-associated genetic defects and epigenetic patterns, recent methodological advancement for the study of cancer genome, and examples of clinical application. Each session starts with an introductory presentation given by an instructor on the topic of session followed by student presentations. Two students present critical reviews of related papers selected by the instructor, however all students are expected to participate in discussions.

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Here is a link to the courses being offered this year:

http://publications.mcgill.ca/humangenetics/files/2012/07/HGEN-Courses-201213.pdf

It is recommended that students only take one course at a time. Courses (other than the mandatory HGEN 692) are to be selected in consultation with your supervisor.

For students interested in enrolling in the Bioinformatics Option, here are the details:

http://www.mcgill.ca/mcb/academic/graduate

Interested students should discuss this program with their supervisor and then submit the letter and application to dept.humangenetics@mcgill.ca

  Mutations in NMNAT1 cause Leber congenital amaurosis and identify a new disease pathway for retinal degeneration

  Scientists’ gene discovery could help reverse childhood blindness disease

Have your graduate students been asking questions about authorship? Do they know how to use data appropriately to develop an accurate analysis? Understanding the terms of academic integrity at McGill is essential to mastering scholarship. Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Teaching and Learning Services is pleased to announce Academic Integrity Day.

The annual SKILLSETS flagship event will address questions regarding academic integrity which have been raised by graduate students. We are inviting you to a) inform supervisors of this student opportunity, and b) encourage your graduate students to participate in this important and interactive event where these issues will be explored through debate and discussion.

Date: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 9:00-12:00PM 

Please register online. Check-in and on-site registration begins at 8:30AM

Location: Omni Hotel (1050 Sherbrooke Street West)

Refreshments will be served.

Leaders:

• Prof. Andre Costopoulos, Dean of Students
• Prof. Abraham Fuks, Research Integrity Officer
• Prof. Rosalie Jukier, Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, Faculty of Law
• Prof. Josephine Nalbantoglu, Director, Integrated Program in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery
• Prof. Lisa Travis, Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
• Prof. John White, Graduate Program Director, Department of Physiology

What students who attended Academic Integrity Day had to say about the event:

-          “The most useful aspects were the case studies and realizing that the issues are not always so black and white.”

-          “I enjoyed hearing professors from different disciplines discuss questions they had encountered in their own work, and learning how the citation process varies so wildly from field to field.”

-          “Having discussions with other graduate students, post-docs and faculty about academic integrity-related issues… like authorship were very helpful.”

• August 15, 15:30 – Stewart Biology Building Room W4/12 M.Sc. Seminar: Tomasz Grzegorz Tomko “Genetics of Radiation-Induced Lung Disease in the Mouse”. (Haston Lab)
• August 22, 15:30 – Stewart Biology Building Room W4/12 Ph.D. Seminar: Hanna Zouk “Functional characterization of novel genetic loci associated with Type 1 Diabetes” (Polychronakos Lab)
• August 29, 15:30 – Stewart Biology Building Room W4/12 Ph.D. Seminar Xiaoyang Liu ”Unraveling the genetic and molecular pathogenesis of pediatric and young adult glioma.” (Jabado Lab)
• September 5, 15:30 – Stewart Biology Building Room W4/12 Ph. D. Seminar Zia Choudhry “Title TBA” (Joober Lab)