PGC Genomics Scientific Retreat Agenda

December 12, 2025

9 - 9:15 AM

Welcoming Remarks

Svati Shah, MD, MS, MHS, Director, PGC
Doug Marchuk, PhDCo-Director PGC

9:15 - 10:15 AM

Keynote Presentation: Putting the patient back together again: A phenomics-first approach to genomic medicine

Melissa Haendel, PhD, FACMI Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor, Director of Precision Health & Translational Informatics, Deputy Director of Computational Science - NC TRACS

10:15 - 10:30 AM Anvita Kulshrestha: Mitochondrial Heterogeneity in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)
10:30 - 10:45 AM Bill Majoros: Graphical Models for Allelic Imbalance
10:45 - 11:00 AM Break
11:00 -11:45 AM

Core Facilities Presentations -- 5 Minutes each

  • Devi Swain-Lenz - Sequencing & Genomic Technologies Core
  • Ellora Haukenfrers - Molecular Genomics Core
  • Erik Soderblom - Proteomics & Metabolomics Core
  • Gina-Maria Pomann - BERD Core
  • So Young Kim - Microbiome Core Facility & Functional Genomics Core 
11:45 AM - Noon Poster Pitches -- 1:30 each
12:00 - 12:30 PM

Lunch

Posters on display in the Atrium

12:30 - 1:30 PM

Poster Session

Winners will be announced at 4 PM during happy hour.

1:30 - 2:30 PM

Keynote Presentation: Gene Therapy: Milestones, potholes, and the road ahead

Aravind Asokan, PhD, Professor in Surgery

2:30 - 2:45 PM Olivia White: 3D epigenomic study of tumor suppressor genes reveals spatial separation of structural and functional enhancer elements
2:45 - 3 PM Sam Reisman: Mismatch tolerance in the gRNA seed region drives potent off-target CRISPRa activity 
3 - 3:15 PM Tatiana Terranova: TBA
3:15 - 3:30 PM Vennesa Valentine: Mouse model to conditionally express a diffuse midline glioma derived mutation in the oncogenic phosphatase PPM1D
3:30 - 3:45 PM Chengkun Yang:  Immune Endotypes Reveal Heterogeneous Effects of Hydrocortisone in Pediatric Sepsis: A Causal Inference Study
3:45 - 5 PM

Happy Hour in Atrium

Oral and Poster Presentation winners announced at 4 PM