April 23 CTSI seminar explores enhancing equity in genomic studies

Ensuring equity and diversity in genomic studies is the focus of an upcoming University at Buffalo Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Community of Scholars Seminar.

Alicia Martin, PhD, Assistant Professor, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, will present “Genomics for the World: A Comprehensive Framework for Genetic Studies in Diverse Populations” in the Murphy Family Seminar Room 5019 A&B at the Clinical and Translational Research Center, and online via Zoom, at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23. 

Register here to attend in person or watch the seminar on Zoom. The seminar is co-sponsored by the CTSI Community of Scholars and the UB departments of Psychiatry and Biochemistry.

Martin was invited to speak by Jamal B. Williams, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “Dr. Martin is innovating novel tools that consider multi-ethnic populations and rolling back the exclusion of certain ancestral groups in genetic research that diminish precision medicine capabilities,” says Williams, the seminar’s host.

Over the last decade, genomic studies have matured and are poised to improve biomedical outcomes via precision medicine. The challenge is that current studies are vastly Eurocentric, and therefore provide greater benefits to populations of European descent. Researchers believe scientific opportunities currently missed by Eurocentric studies can be created via multi-ethnic studies.

In order to realize equitable benefits of genetics in precision medicine, Martin is developing analytical methods, tools, community resources, and massive data analyses to facilitate genetic studies across diverse ancestries. 

During her Community of Scholars talk, Martin will focus on her work advancing gene-discovery efforts in globally diverse populations using large-scale meta-analysis across global biobanks. Martin will also outline her efforts setting up the largest genetic studies of psychiatric phenotypes in underrepresented populations and will discuss work evaluating how genetic and exposure risks together predict disease outcomes in diverse populations.

In addition to Martin’s work at the Broad Institute, she is an assistant investigator in the Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit of Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

Following her Community of Scholars Seminar on April 23, Martin will be featured at a Community Health Speaks lecture at 6 p.m. at the Jacobs School's M&T Auditorium (room 2120). The lecture will be offered in person and on Zoom and will be followed by a reception with refreshments; register here and see flyer for more information. Community Health Speaks is a health equity initiative in UB’s Department of Psychiatry with a goal to raise awareness about health disparities and the transformative potential of research within the community.

For questions about the Community of Scholars Seminar Series, write to scholar1@buffalo.edu or call 716-829-4718.