Page 177 - Genomic Medicine in Emerging Economies

166 CHAPTER 9: Raising Genomics Awareness

Table 9.3 Past Golden Helix Summer Schools
A/A Year Date Island Country
1 2014 September 11–15 Aegina Greece
2 2016 September 22–26 Syros Greece

an attractive social program for both invited speakers and participants, while
indulging in the Greek summer. Also, the scientific program includes a career
development session, in which selected summer school faculty members, com-
ing from the academic, corporate, and/or regulatory arena, engage in lively
discussions with the participants, sharing their own experiences from starting
their own careers and answering questions, hence providing essential, cutting-
edge information on building a successful career in the academic, corporate,
and/or regulatory sectors.

In addition to lectures, workshops, course materials, and syllabi, the registra-
tion fee, which is kept to a minimum to encourage participation of research-
ers from developing and lower-income countries, includes accommodation,
all meals, and social activities. Emphasis is also given to the social aspect of
the Golden Helix Summer Schools, allowing participants to get to know each
other in a very informal way, providing them with the chance to visit archaeo-
logical sites, to admire the rich history of ancient Greece, and to experience
traditional Greek cuisine in the setting of a farewell dinner.

The Golden Helix Summer Schools are organized on a biennial basis; the
first event that was organized was in September 2014 on the island of Aegina
(Greece), with the theme focused on pharmacogenomics and genomic medi-
cine. The next event was organized in September 2016 on the island of Syros
(Greece), with the theme revolving around cancer genomics and treatment
individualization (Table 9.3). The next Golden Helix Summer School is
planned for September 2018 (26–30 September 2018, again, on the island of
Syros) with a tentative theme of genomics of rare diseases, rare cancers, and
rare drug outcomes.

Other Scientific Conferences
Apart from the mainstream Golden Helix conferences outlined above, the
Golden Helix Foundation has been involved in the co-organization of other
scientific conferences in the field of genome medicine. In particular, the Golden
Helix Foundation was engaged in the co-organization, together with local aca-
demic entities and in conjunction with the US Food and Drug Administration,
of the first and second Latin America Pharmacogenomics Conferences (in San
Juan, Puerto Rico, May 10–14, 2010; and in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 28–29,
2012). Similarly, the Golden Helix Foundation participated as local host of the
third Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative (G2MC) Conference that was