CGC Webinars and Special Seminars
Building on the remarkable success of this educational series, the CGC is continuing the webinar series sponsored by the Cancer Genomics Consortium and the University of Wisconsin Collaborative Genomics Conference.
This lecture series focuses on topics of high interest for CGC members and attendees of the UW Collaborative Genomic Conference, including implementation of new technologies in clinical genetic/genomic testing, standards and resources for interpretation of sequence and copy number variants, germline predisposition to cancer, and novel approaches for detection of structural variants in constitutional and cancer samples. The CGC is currently accepting cases for the 2024 Case Conference Series.
The CGC will also present additional seminars on special topics throughout the year. Please look for information both on this page and in emails for these opportunities.
December 2024 CGC Webinar:
Using ClinVar to Share Germline and Somatic Variant Classifications
from Clinical Genomic Testing for Cancer
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 | 10:00 AM PST / 1:00 PM EST
Clinical genetics testing laboratories have benefited from sharing variant classifications of germline variants for monogenic disorders with ClinVar since its introduction in 2013. In January 2024, ClinVar was updated to accept classifications of somatic variants for cancer, including assertions of oncogenicity and clinical impact. In this webinar, Melissa J. Landrum PhD and Sharon E. Plon MD, PhD will describe how genetic testing laboratories have benefited from sharing germline variants through ClinVar, and how cancer testing laboratories can take advantage of sharing classifications of somatic variants.
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Discuss the benefits of sharing variant classifications in public databases
- Describe the types of data that can be submitted to ClinVar for somatic variants
- Summarize the methods to submit data to ClinVar
Melissa J. Landrum, PhD is a Staff Scientist at the National Center for Biotechnology Information, within the National Library of Medicine at the NIH.
She is the team lead for ClinVar, NCBI’s archive of human genetic variants and their relationship to disease (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/clinvar/). Prior to her work on ClinVar, she was a curator for NCBI’s RefSeq (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/refseq/) collection. Dr. Landrum received her PhD in human genetics from Johns Hopkins University, where she studied adeno-associated virus as a vector for gene therapy.
Sharon E. Plon, MD, PhD is a board-certified medical geneticist and a longstanding cancer genetics researcher.
Dr. Plon holds the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center Professorship at Baylor College of Medicine and serves as one of the Principal Investigators of the Clinical Genome (ClinGen) Resource - www.clinicalgenome.org. She co-chairs the ClinGen Hereditary Cancer Clinical Domain (CDWG) and co-chairs the ClinGen CDWG Oversight Committee that has recently worked with the CIViC database to develop somatic-cancer variant curation expert panels. Dr. Plon is a prior member of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research and the Board of Directors of the American Society of Human Genetics.
Early Career Webinar:
Acknowledging and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Your Professional Journey
Thursday, November 14, 2024 | 10:00 AM PST / 1:00 PM EST
Imposter syndrome is a behavioral health phenomenon defined by self-doubt in one’s own intellect, skills, and accomplishments, despite verifiable and objective evidence of success. Although not a clinical diagnosis, imposter syndrome can significantly disrupt work-life balance, productivity, and career satisfaction, leaving many to question their accomplishments and feel undeserving of achievements. While anyone can experience imposter syndrome, it typically affects high-functioning, high-achieving individuals. Characteristics of imposter syndrome vary upon the individual and the environment, but some common traits include fear of failure, perfectionism, attributing accomplishments to others, denial of competence and fear of success. In a fast-paced, high-stakes environment such as cancer genomics, this persistent self-doubt can undermine confidence and hinder growth. Imposter syndrome is highly prevalent among individuals in healthcare professions.
Understanding imposter syndrome along with its etiology and manifestation is the first step to managing this phenomenon. Please join us and our speakers, Dr. Ericka Boone, Director for the Division of Biomedical Research Workforce within the NIH Office of Extramural Research and Dr. Peter Hu, Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives in the School of Health Professions at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, who will share their experiences with imposter syndrome and explore strategies to navigate these feelings. Whether you’ve struggled with perfectionism, fear of failure, or difficulty accepting your achievements, this webinar will provide valuable tools to overcome these barriers and foster resilience in both academic and professional settings.
Dr. Ericka Boone is the Director for the Division of Biomedical Research Workforce (DBRW) within the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER). Dr. Boone is tasked with providing leadership on the development, implementation and evaluation of policies and programs to train, sustain and enhance the diversity of the future of the biomedical research workforce.
Dr. Boone also serves on UNITE, the NIH's initiative to identify and address structural racism. She co-chairs Committee E, which is charged with evaluating and changing NIH policies, cultures, and structures to promote enhanced workforce diversity. Prior to coming to the NIH, Dr. Boone conducted research at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Emory University. Dr. Boone’s academic background includes a B.A. in Biology from Talladega College and a Ph.D. in Biobehavioral Health from The Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Peter Hu is currently the Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives in the School of Health Professions at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. He is also a Distinguished Teaching Professor with tenure and is the founding Director of the Molecular Genetic Technology and the Graduate Diagnostic Genetics Programs at MD Anderson.
Professionally, he has served as President, Board of Directors, and other key leadership positions for various professional societies including Association of Clinical Scientist, National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Association for Genetic Technologists, and American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. He is internationally recognized for his consulting work in Cuba, China, Qatar, and his recent efforts in Africa through MD Anderson’s Global Academic Programs. Dr. Hu regularly presents at state, national, and international conferences on topics ranging from clinical laboratory sciences and education.
November 2024 CGC Webinar:
Current State of Diagnostic Testing in Pediatric Sarcoma
Tuesday, November 5, 2024 | 9:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM EST
Kathleen Schieffer, PhD, FACMG
Dr. Kathleen Schieffer will provide an overview of the efforts of the CGC's Sarcoma Working Group to assess the current state of the clinical genetic and genomic testing landscape in pediatric sarcomas. Sarcomas represent approximately 20% of pediatric solid tumors. Although these tumors often have overlapping clinical and histologic features, they frequently harbor distinctive diagnostic genomic alterations. Importantly, the landscape of pediatric sarcomas differs both histologically and molecularly from adults. The CGC's Sarcoma Working Group performed a survey on the current state of the clinical testing landscape and related challenges in pediatric sarcomas. Results from this survey will be discussed. Furthermore, in response to the identified challenges, practical case-based scenarios informed by these results will be presented.
Level of Instruction: Intermediate to Advanced
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify how differences between pediatric and adult cancers may impact diagnostic testing.
- Discuss challenges in the field of pediatric sarcoma diagnostics.
- Summarize the advantages and limitations of cytogenetic and molecular methodologies commonly used in the diagnostic setting.
May 2024 CGC Webinar:
Cytogenetic Laboratory Automation: Implementation, Benefits, and Roundtable Discussion
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 | 10:00 AM PST / 1:00 PM EST
Join Drs. Ninette Cohen, Cecelia Miller, and Jennie Thurston as they discuss how the incorporation of automation into the cytogenetic laboratory promises increased productivity and better utilization of human resources. Automation can be implemented in pre-analytic and analytic phases involving sample processing, slide making, hybridization etc. However, implementation involves many decisions (e.g. specific equipment, what processes to automate) and a considerable amount of testing and development for the use of new automated processes. This webinar presentation and roundtable discussion will showcase the viewpoints of three speakers with experience bringing in automation technology to increase efficiency in the laboratory. This session on 'Cytogenetics Automation' will focus on the wet lab processing of cytogenetic samples.
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify processes and equipment that can be used for automation in cytogenetics laboratories.
- Evaluate speakers' experience with automation implementation including the strengths and limitations of certain systems.
- Discuss and assess how cytogenetics automation may help their laboratories including return on investment in performing these upgrades.
Dr. Ninette Cohen is the Senior Director for the Division of Cytogenetics, Molecular Pathology and Prenatal screening labs, Department of Pathology at Northwell Labs. Northwell Health is New York's largest
healthcare provider. Dr. Cohen has been a part of Northwell Labs leadership team since 2017, overseeing the clinical and academic activities of the genetics labs at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
Dr. Cohen has introduced automation and numerous quality improvement initiatives which have resulted in improved turnaround time of patient results as well as outstanding provider and employee satisfaction. Dr. Cohen is dual board certified in Clinical Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Genetics by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG), is a Fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and holds a New York State Certificate of Qualification in Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics. Dr. Cohen’s areas of interest include introducing innovative technology in the labs, medical education, quality improvement, lab communication and client relations. Dr. Cohen received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from SUNY at Stony Brook, New York, Master of Science and a PhD degrees in Human Genetics from Tel Aviv University, School of Medicine, Israel, and post-doctoral fellowships in Clinical Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Genetics.
Dr. Cecilia Miller is an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology at The Ohio State University. She serves as division director of the cytogenetics laboratory at The James Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Miller is board-certified in clinical cytogenetics and molecular genetics and genomics.
Dr. Jennie Thurston is the Senior Director of Cytogenetics and Co-Director of Molecular Pathology for Carolinas Pathology Group in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Her primary professional responsibility
is leading the core Cytogenetics Laboratory for Atrium Health, a comprehensive cytogenetics laboratory providing testing services in genetics and oncology to support a 50+ hospital integrated health network in the Southeastern US.
Jennie completed her undergraduate work at Louisiana Tech, a PhD in Human Medical Genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a postdoctoral fellowship in Clinical Cytogenetics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Thurston is a diplomate of the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics in both Clinical Cytogenetics and Genomics and in Laboratory Genetics and Genomics. She is an active member of the ACMG, ASHG, CGC, AMP, ACC, and ASCO.
April 2024 CGC Webinar:
Somatic Structural Variant Detection Via HiFi Sequencing In Pediatric Hematologic Malignancies
Tuesday, April 30, 2024 | 9:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM EST
Join Drs. Midhat Farooqi, Ayse Keskus, and Lisa Lansdon for an overview of structural variant calling from HiFi data using Severus, a recently-developed bioinformatics tool which can detect simple and complex structural variants (SV) from whole-genome long-read sequence data. Topics will include an overview of the utility of long-read sequencing in cancer testing, a description of how Severus takes advantage of improved long-read mappability and phasing to model chromosomal rearrangements, and discussion of a cytogenetically cryptic KMT2A::MLLT10 rearrangement detected by this methodology.
Level of Instruction: Intermediate to Advanced
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Describe the benefits of long-read sequencing versus short-read sequencing.
- Summarize how the Severus algorithm calls structural variants from long-read sequence data.
- Identify cases that may benefit from additional testing, including structural variant detection using long-read data.
Dr. Midhat Farooqi is the Director of Molecular Oncology for the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at Children’s Mercy Kansas City and also for the Genomic Medicine Center at the Children’s Mercy Research Institute. As a molecular pathologist, Dr. Farooqi interprets clinical genetic testing results, both somatic and germline, for pediatric patients with cancer.
His research interests include epigenetic profiling and long read sequencing of pediatric liquid and solid tumors. He has received funding from the National Cancer Institute, Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer, Big Slick, Black & Veatch, and the Masonic Cancer Alliance. Dr. Farooqi is also an Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, and a member of the University of Kansas Cancer Center.
Dr. Ayse Keskus received her PhD from Bilkent University in Turkey. She is currently working in Kolmogorov Lab at NCI as a postdoctoral fellow. Her research interests include complex structural variations in cancer genomes and their functional impacts.
Dr. Lisa Lansdon is an Assistant Director of the Molecular Genetics Laboratory in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, as well as an Assistant Professor of Pathology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine.
Her primary clinical focus is laboratory genetic testing for pediatric patients with cancer, whereby she analyzes and interprets molecular genetic test results in addition to performing clinical test validations. Her current research interests include exploring the clinical utility of RNA expression profiling and long read sequencing in pediatric cancer diagnostics.
CGC Early Career Webinar:
Effective Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Cover Letter Preparation
Thursday, February 15, 20249:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM EST
As we embark on a new year filled with opportunities for professional growth and development, the Cancer Genomics Consortium Early Career Committee is pleased to extend an invitation to a webinar focused on effective curriculum vitae (CV) and cover letter preparation. In the dynamic field of genetics, presenting a strong curriculum vitae (CV) and crafting compelling cover letters are essential skills that contribute to career advancement and success. Whether you are a clinical laboratory professional or a budding researcher, this webinar aims to provide valuable insights and practical tips to enhance your application materials for both the industry and academic spaces. This webinar is designed for members of the genomics community who are in training or recently out of training and is open to both CGC members and those who are not yet members.
Our guest speakers, Dr. Rhea Behlmann a Laboratory Director at Invitae, Dr. Panieh Terraf a Medical Geneticist from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Dr. Alex Wagner a Principal Investigator from Nationwide Children's Hospital will share valuable insights and answer your questions during the interactive Q&A session.
Dr. Rhea Behlmann is board-certified in Laboratory Genetics and Genomics by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG) and is currently a Laboratory Director at Invitae. Her operational interests focus on safeguarding data quality and optimizing workflow efficiency to provide high quality genetic results to patients and providers. Her expertise includes sequencing and structural variant interpretation & reporting using both molecular and cytogenetic technologies, as well as assay validation, product support, process improvement, and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Prior to joining Invitae, Dr. Behlmann served as a clinical laboratory director at PerkinElmer Genomics and also EGL Genetic Diagnostics. She brings with her over 10 years of experience in the clinical diagnostics field from multiple laboratory perspectives, including as a clinical laboratory scientist, validation assay development specialist, and clinical laboratory director. She has co-authored several publications as part of the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) Laboratory Quality Assurance committee, as well as research articles and clinical case studies.
Dr. Behlmann completed her ABMGG clinical training from Emory University in Atlanta, GA, and earned her doctoral degree in Genetics from Washington University in St. Louis, MO.
Dr. Panieh Terraf is a medical geneticist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She specializes in cancer genome diagnostics and her primary clinical responsibilities encompass the analysis and clinical interpretation of complex molecular and cytogenetic results crucial for identifying and diagnosing both hereditary cancers as well as acquired hematological malignancies and solid tumors. She works closely with oncologists and pathologists to help guide patient-personalized care by utilizing her expertise in genomic diagnostics and its implications in the screening, diagnosis, and management of cancer.
Furthermore, Dr. Terraf is involved in research, particularly focused on developing and integrating innovative diagnostic techniques. Her research is geared towards enriching our understanding of the genomic landscape of various cancers, aiming to elevate the standard of patient care to its highest level.
Dr. Alex Wagner is a Principal Investigator at The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine (IGM) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Biomedical Informatics at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. His research is focused on the development of tools and standards for advancing precision medicine and our knowledge of genomic alterations in cancers. Dr. Wagner serves as director of the international Variant Interpretation for Cancer Consortium (VICC), co-lead of the Variant Representation team in the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), co-lead of
the BRIDGE Center Standards Core for the NIH Bridge2AI program , and a member of the HGVS Variation Nomenclature Committee. He is a proponent of open science, FAIR data sharing, and AI-assisted scalable variant interpretation. Dr. Wagner has co-developed several precision medicine web tools, including the Drug-Gene Interaction Database (DGIdb), the database of Clinical Interpretations of Variants in Cancer (CIViC; www.civicdb.org), and the VICC meta-knowledgebase. His research continues to explore new models and tools to address the challenges of variation and genomic knowledge representation, including his work as a lead designer of the GA4GH Variation Representation Specification and the VICC Gene Fusion specification (fusions.cancervariants.org). His active projects also include several data standardization efforts supporting cancer variant classification, including the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) and the Multiplexed Assays for Variant Effect database (MaveDB).
February 2024 CGC Webinar:
Hereditary Myeloid Malignancy Syndromes: more common than you think
Thursday, February 8, 2024 | 11:00 AM PST / 2:00 PM EST
Amy Trottier, MD, FRCPC
Join Amy Trottier, MD, FRCPC for an overview of hereditary hematologic malignancy syndromes, with a focus on those that predispose to MDS or AML. Topics will include who, how, and when to test as well as what to do with the results.
Session Abstract:
An overview of hereditary hematologic malignancy syndromes, with a focus on those that predispose to MDS or AML. Topics will include who, how, and when to test as well as what to do with the results. She will also present results of large scale germline genetic sequencing studies conducted on an unbiased international MDS population and highlight ongoing areas of research.
Level of Instruction: ADVANCED
Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the participant will be able to:
- Identify the characteristics of patients with concern for hereditary hematologic malignancies.
- Discuss the challenges for germline testing in this patient cohort.
- Compare the challenges faced by this patient population to the somatic-driven MDS/AML population.
- Develop potential action plans for testing and result notification for this patient population.
The CGC Education committee is excited to continue the monthly case conference series offered in collaboration with the UW Collaborative Genomics Conference in 2024.
These conferences will allow CGC members to: showcase their interesting and educational cases, promote their clinical and research work, consult with colleagues about challenging test results, earn CE credits at no charge through the University of Wisconsin–Madison Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP), and identify collaborators with similar cases and shared clinical or research interests.
Additional benefits for trainees include winning the ’Best Case Presentation‘ award and the option to submit a case report for publication in the Cancer Genetics journal.
To attend, click the button below to join the conference:
Meeting ID: 945 6708 1449
Passcode: CGC2024-26
To confirm your attendance for this webinar:
- Register for an account with the University of Wisconsin Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (UW-ICEP)
- Per new ACCME’s Standards-UW Madison, ALL attendees must text the code every time to confirm attendance, (deadline to text the code is 48 hours after the end of the conference).
- You can track your participation through your account with ICEP.
