Advancing Equity in Genetics and Genomics in Canada (AEG2C) and Beyond
Announcement
Save the date: Advancing Equity in Genetics and Genomics in Canada (AEG2C) and beyond - 2nd Symposium - October 19-20, 2026 | Montréal (with an online option)
Join us in Montréal (or online) on October 19-20, 2026 for the second AEG2C Symposium. This event will bring together researchers, community partners, and patients to advance equity in genetics and genomics research across Canada and beyond.
This symposium is organized and hosted by the McGill Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Genomic Medicine, CIHR Institute of Genetics (CIHR-IG), the Pan-Canadian Genome Library (PCGL), and Genome Canada.
Mark your calendar! More details coming soon.
Symposium overview
As genomic research is transformed by increasingly large and diverse cohorts, interconnected data systems, emerging technologies, and the growing translation of genomic discoveries into clinical practice, the conversation around equity is also fast-moving. As the field moves from defining principles to putting them into action, a key challenge remains how to translate equity principles into concrete practices throughout the research lifecycle.
The second edition of Advancing Equity in Genetics and Genomics in Canada (AEG2C) and beyond will convene researchers, trainees, community partners, funders, and other representatives of the genetics and genomics community in Canada and internationally to foster dialogue on global challenges related to equity in genomics and share concrete implementation approaches across research, healthcare, and policy. Grounding the symposium in community realities, Day 1 of the symposium will share lessons learned from initiatives meaningfully partnering with communities, and discuss salient challenges in embedding equity across the genomics research ecosystem. In addition, panel discussions will consider how we define and measure (in)equities in genomics, and how responsible research and data systems can enable measurement in ways that support learning, accountability, and action. Day 2 will focus on emerging genomic technologies and how equity can be embedded from the outset in their development, implementation, and translation into practice.
We invite you to bring your experiences, questions, and perspectives to the conversation at AEG2C 2026.
Keynote speakers
Dr. Loydie Jerome-Majewska is a full Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, and associated member of the Departments of Human Genetics and Anatomy and Cell biology at McGill University. She is a senior scientist and co-lead of the Child Health and Human Development program at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. She completed her PhD work with honors in the laboratory of Dr. Papaioannou at Columbia University, NYC, USA and a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. E. Lacy, at Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre. Dr. Jerome-Majewska’s group uses multiple omics approaches to understand the genetic and cellular basis of diseases. Her work is funded by Genome Canada, the Canadian Institute of Health, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. In addition, she is Editor-in-Chief for Differentiation and co-Founder of the Canadian Black Scientist Network which has over 900 members. Dr. Jerome-Majewska is a Fellow of the American Association for Anatomy and has received numerous awards for her research and equity work.
Francine Buchanan, MLIS, PhD, is a national leader in patient and family engagement, serving on leadership committees for POPCORN and the Home Mechanical Ventilation Research Network. A health‑services researcher and parent to a medically complex child, her work advances co‑production, shared decision‑making, and meaningful partnership across pediatric and health‑system research. Dr. Buchanan is widely recognized for her scholarship in patient engagement, co‑design, and governance, and is a sought‑after speaker on embedding lived experience in research and system transformation.
Kyle Brothers, MD, PhD serves as Executive Vice Chair and Vice Chair for Research for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky, where he is a Professor of Pediatrics and the Endowed Chair for Pediatric Clinical and Translational Research. Dr. Brothers is a pediatrician and bioethicist who conducts research on ethical issues in the translation of genomic technologies to clinical practice. He practices medicine at the Norton Children's Genetics Center and serves as a clinical ethics consultant at Norton Children's Hospital.
Organizing Committees
(in alphabetical order)
Scientific Committee
Claude Bhérer (Chair), Assistant Professor, Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University; Researcher, McGill CERC in Genomic Medicine, McGill University
Jillian Banfield, Lead for Patient Partnership, CIHR Institute of Genetics
Yvonne Bombard, Full Professor, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto; Scientist & Director, Genomics Health Services Group, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
Tucker Bottomley, CIHR Institute of Genetics Patient-partner
Charlotte Calvez, MSc student in Bombard Lab, University of Toronto
Anne-Cécile Desfaits, Associate Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Genetics
Sali Farhan , Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery and Human Genetics, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University; Clinical Molecular Geneticist, McGill University Health Centre
Amirah-Iman Hicks, EDI advisor, Pan-Canadian Genome Library, McGill University
Isabel Jordan, CIHR Institute of Genetics Patient-partner
Christopher McMaster, Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Genetics and Professor of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University
Vincent Mooser, Professor, Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University; Laureate of the McGill CERC in Genomic Medicine, McGill University
Hermann Nabi, Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec City; Researcher and Director of the CHU de Québec-Laval University Research Center (CRCHU)
Wesley Oakes, Director, Equity, Social Innovation, and GE³LS, Genome Canada
Justin Pelletier, PhD student in Bhérer Lab, McGill CERC in Genomic Medicine, McGill University
Étienne Richer, Director, Precision Health, Genome Canada
Logistic committee
Claude Bhérer (Chair), Assistant Professor, Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University; Researcher, McGill CERC in Genomic Medicine, McGill University
Cheryl Bailey, Manager, Finance and Administration, CIHR Institute of Genetics
Jillian Banfield, Lead for Patient Partnership, CIHR Institute of Genetics
Anne-Cécile Desfaits, Associate Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Genetics
Amirah-Iman Hicks, EDI advisor, Pan-Canadian Genome Library, McGill University
Claire Le Moigne, Project Administrator, McGill CERC in Genomic Medicine, McGill University
Nayara Lopes, Lead, Knowledge Mobilization and Community Support, CIHR Institute of Genetics
Susannah Selber-Hnatiw, PhD student in Zhou Lab, McGill CERC in Genomic Medicine, McGill University
Hosted by:
Location
Hybrid event:
Hôtel Place d'Armes
55 rue Saint-Jacques
Montreal, Quebec
Canada, QC H2Y 1K9
Contact us
If you have any questions, please contact cerc.genome@mcgill.ca
