Waisman 50th Anniversary Scientific Symposium & Poster Fair

This robust scientific symposium featured four international experts in autism, functional genomics, Down syndrome, and imaging with accompanying presentations by Waisman researchers on these topics. The symposium concluded with presentations by three Waisman researchers with landmark translational research successes in Alexander disease, Parkinson’s disease, and degenerative eye conditions.

Program
Sponsors
Photos from the Event

50th Anniversary Scientific Symposium & Poster Session

Program

Schedule & Program

Thursday, September 21

8:30 am	— Breakfast —
9:00 am	Welcome and Introduction to the Waisman Center — Qiang Chang, PhD, Director — Cynthia Czajkowski, PhD, OVCRGE
9:15 am	Genomic Insights into Early Human Brain Development, Evolution, and Disease — Arnold Kriegstein, MD, PhD University of California San Francisco
10:15 am	Waisman Functional Genomics Research Spotlights — Xinyu Zhao, PhD, moderator — Andre Sousa, PhD — James Li, PhD — Daifeng Wang, PhD
11:00 am	— Break —
11:15 am	Understanding and Optimizing Neonatal Brain Development — Cynthia Rogers, MD Washington University St. Louis
12:15 pm	— Lunch —
1:00 pm	Waisman Early Brain and Communication Development Research Spotlights — Andy Alexander, PhD, moderator — Doug Dean, PhD — Bernadette Gillick, PhD, MSPT — Jenny Saffran, PhD — Katie Hustad, PhD — Audra Sterling, PhD
2:15 pm	— Break —
2:30 pm	Unveiling the Future of Down Syndrome: 50 Years of Research Paving the Way for Therapy — Mara Dierssen, PhD Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona, Spain
3:30 pm	Waisman Down Syndrome Research Spotlights — Maria Stanley, MD, moderator — Anita Bhattacharyya, PhD — Qiang Chang, PhD — Ruth Litovsky, PhD — Brad Christian, PhD — Sigan Hartley, PhD
4:45 pm	Waisman Training Spotlight — Sigan Hartley, PhD
5:00 pm	— Poster Session — Wiley Conference Center

Friday, September 22

8:30 am	— Breakfast —
9:00 am	Looking Backward to Look Forward: Autism from 2 to 32 — Catherine Lord, PhD University of California Los Angeles
10:00 am	Waisman Autism Research Spotlights — Sigan Hartley, PhD, moderator — Luigi Puglielli, MD, PhD — Xinyu Zhao, PhD — Maureen Durkin, PhD — Andy Alexander, PhD — Brittany Travers, PhD
11:15 am	— Break —
11:30 am	Promising Waisman Translational Research Qiang Chang, PhD, moderator — Leann DaWalt, PhD — David Gamm, MD, PhD — Su-Chun Zhang, MD, PhD
12:15 pm	— Lunch —