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.

50th Anniversary Scientific Symposium & Poster Session

Program

Schedule & Program

Thursday, September 21

8:30 am
— Breakfast —
9:00 amWelcome and Introduction to the Waisman Center
— Qiang Chang, PhD, Director
— Cynthia Czajkowski, PhD, OVCRGE
9:15 amGenomic Insights into Early Human Brain Development, Evolution, and Disease
Arnold Kriegstein, MD, PhD
— Arnold Kriegstein, MD, PhD

University of California San Francisco
10:15 amWaisman Functional Genomics Research Spotlights
— Xinyu Zhao, PhD, moderator
— Andre Sousa, PhD
— James Li, PhD
— Daifeng Wang, PhD
11:00 am
— Break —
11:15 amUnderstanding and Optimizing Neonatal Brain Development
Cynthia Rogers, MD
— Cynthia Rogers, MD

Washington University St. Louis
12:15 pm— Lunch —
1:00 pmWaisman 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
Mara Dierssen, PhD
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 pmWaisman 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 pmWaisman Training Spotlight
— Sigan Hartley, PhD
5:00 pm— Poster Session —
Wiley Conference Center

 

Friday, September 22

8:30 am
— Breakfast —
9:00 amLooking Backward to Look Forward: Autism from 2 to 32
Catherine Lord, PhD
—
Catherine Lord, PhD
University of California Los Angeles
10:00 amWaisman 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 amPromising Waisman Translational Research
Qiang Chang, PhD, moderator
— Leann DaWalt, PhD
— David Gamm, MD, PhD
— Su-Chun Zhang, MD, PhD
12:15 pm — Lunch —

Sponsors

Symposium Sponsors

Photos