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PHA4GE is thrilled to announce its first-ever Conference, happening on October 30 to November 1, 2023!
We’re excited to host you at the gorgeous Cavalli Estate in Cape Town, South Africa.
The conference is set to explore a range of topics that are crucial to public health and genomics, including:
Our PHA4GE Conference overview has everything you need to know about registration and more. If you have specific inquiries, please reach out to us at help@pha4ge.org.
We can’t wait to see you in Cape Town for what promises to be an exciting and insightful event. Get ready to meet fellow experts and learn about the latest advancements in public health and genomics.
Let’s create a healthier world together!
| 8.00 – 9.00am | Registration |
| 9.00 – 9.15am | Opening Remarks |
| 9.20 – 10.20am | Keynote Presentation Anita Ghansah (University of Ghana) – Video |
| 10.25 – 10.55am | Tea Break |
| 11.00 – 12.15pm | Quality Assurance in Public Health Laboratories Karen Osman (UK Health Security Agency) |
| 12.15 – 1.15pm | Lunch |
| 1.20 – 2.35pm | Computational Tools for Pathogen Surveillance Jennifer Guthrie (University of Western Ontario) |
| 2.40 – 3.20pm | Poster Lightning Talks |
| 3.20 – 4.20pm | Poster Session & Tea/Coffee Break |
| 4.25 – 5.00pm | Ethical data sharing during a pandemic Discussion: Ethical preparedness for the next pandemics and epidemics project |
| 9.00 – 10.55am | Infrastructure to enable public health pathogen genomics in resource-limited settings Joel Sevinsky (Theiagen Genomics) – Video |
| 11.00 – 11.30am | Tea Break |
| 11.35 – 1.00pm | Harmonizing pathogen data collection Bryan Wee (University of Edinburgh) |
| 1.00 – 2.00pm | Lunch |
| 2.05 – 3.05pm | Priority pathogens: Part 1 Cebile Lekhuleni (National Institute for Communicable Diseases – South Africa) – Video |
| 3.10 – 3.50pm | Poster Lightning Talks |
| 3.50 – 4.50pm | Poster Session & Tea/Coffee Break |
| 4.55 – 5.55pm | Priority pathogens: Part 2 Rito Mikhari (National Institute for Communicable Diseases – South Africa) – Video |
| 6.00 – 7.50pm | Social |
| 9.00 – 10.00am | Training & Curriculum Development for Pathogen Genomics Alice Matimba (Wellcome Connecting Science) – Video |
| 10.00 – 10.30am | Tea Break |
| 10.30 – 12.00pm | PHA4GE Working Groups Session |
| 12.05 – 1.05pm | Keynote Presentation Torsten Semmler (Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany) – Video |
| 1.05 – 1.20pm | Closing Remarks |
| 1.25 – 2.25pm | Lunch |
Organizing Committee
PHA4GE Secretariat
Keynote Speakers
Anita Ghansah
Senior Research Fellow – Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana
Dr. Anita Ghansah is a Senior Research Fellow at the Parasitology Department of Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana. She is involved in translational research into malaria and other parasitic infectious diseases with the ultimate goal of applying genomic research output to inform malaria control and elimination. Her research revolves around understanding the role of human and parasite genetic variations in infectious diseases. She focuses on how genetic variation influence the epidemiology and pathogenicity of malaria and its implication on therapeutic and vaccination strategies and malaria control in general. She is currently exploring Plasmodium falciparum genome to understand the genetic diversity, emergence of drug resistance and vaccine efficacy.
Torsten Semmler
Head of Unit MF 1 – Genome Competence Center – Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
Dr. Torsten Semmler is Head of the Genome Competence Center at the Robert Koch institute in Germany. He is bioinformatician with a focus on microbial genomics, high throughput genome analyses, population genetics and molecular epidemiology. His research includes topics like evolution of bacteria and molecular mechanisms for the spread of antimicrobial resistances. He authored or co-authored more than 170 peer-reviewed original publications in his field. He is currently the project leader of an initiative to establish a Germany-wide systematic genomic surveillance of public health relevant pathogens.
International Delegates – $200
*Any country not on the LMIC list
Low & Middle Income Countries – $100
Please refer to the World Bank’s Income Groups
Students – $50
*Kindly note you will be required to submit proof of registration at any university in the world
Bursary application deadline: Closed
PHA4GE has sourced funding to provide financial support for delegates from Africa and other LMICs (low-and middle income countries) – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) list
Grants/ financial support will include payment of conference registration fees and provisions towards air travel, accommodation and meals.
To apply, an applicant will need to:
Click here to submit your abstract.
Applications will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee. Only successful applicants will be accepted into the conference programme and awarded travel grants. Successful applicants will be informed via email on or before 31 August 2023 (midnight, UTC).
Successful candidates will be expected to sign up for one of the workshops preceding the conference.
Students will need to provide the following documentation:
All applicants will need to provide the following documentation:
For assistance or more information contact [email protected]
Poster Abstract deadline: Closed
Talk Abstract deadline: Closed
We welcome abstract submissions for poster presentations (to be presented as posters during poster sessions) and talks (to be presented as 15-minute oral presentations during thematic discussions) based on the tracks below:
Abstracts to posters:
All abstracts must be in English.
Detailed guidelines on the correct abstract format for posters can be downloaded here
Poster abstracts must be submitted via the submission form on or before midnight (0000hrs UTC) on the 15 September 2023.
Successful individuals will be emailed on the outcome. For any other enquiries relating to abstracts applications or abstract submissions, please email [email protected]
Guidelines for preparing, submitting and presenting Poster Presentations
Detailed guidelines for poster and flashtalk submission can be accessed here
Guidelines for preparing, submitting and Talk Presentations
Detailed guidelines for Talk submission can be accessed here
Bioinformatics Solutions for Public Health Pathogen Genomics
Public health pathogen genomics is a rapidly evolving domain with constantly changing best practices. Despite its significance, there is a scarcity of documentation that effectively communicates these best practices to public health scientists, making it challenging for them to stay updated. The objective of this workshop is to highlight the open-source and open-access bioinformatics resources accessible to the public health community. These resources aim to standardize and ensure reproducibility in pathogen genomics research. Throughout the session, we will delve into the diverse challenges that public health laboratories encounter while implementing bioinformatics solutions. Furthermore, we will explore the solutions provided by the PHA4GE Bioinformatics Pipelines and Visualization working group to address these challenges.
Topics: Public health pathogen genomics, open-source solutions, proposed pipeline standards, pathogen analysis guidance documents, and more
Format: Lecture and hands-on exercises
Duration: 3 hours, including mid-session networking break
Facilitators: Kevin Libuit and Jamie Southgate
Cost: included with Conference registration
About Cavalli
Cavalli Estate is widely regarded as an iconic venue located in Stellenbosch, one of the cities in the prestigious Cape Winelands District, South Africa. With award-winning wine, cuisine, design, architecture, indigenous gardens and art, it has quickly become a recognised South African lifestyle brand.
The PHA4GE Conference 2023 kicks off under the natural beauty that exists in this region. The estate is actively involved in rehabilitating the Cape Floral Kingdom footprint of the land by planting indigenous trees and shrubs. From the estate, delegates have views of the iconic Helderberg Mountain that is within the Helderberg Nature Reserve. The unspoiled and tranquil environment provide the perfect backdrop for collaborative engagement.
Cape Town is located in the southernmost tip of Africa which is one of the most magnificent parts of the world, a paradise full of exquisite scenery and beautiful beaches.
Cape Town is known for its natural beauty, its juxtaposition of mountains and beaches, its art and its diverse people. With its larger-than-life mountain overlooking the City Bowl, harbour, white beaches and Robben Island beyond, this is a tourists’ playground.
There is nowhere quite like Cape Town. It is therefore no surprise that this coastal gem, crowned by the magnificent Table Mountain National Park, has been voted the best city in the world seven years running!
Attractions
Evergreen attractions like the penguin colony at Boulders Beach, the breathtaking views from Table Mountain, the delicious cuisine at Gold Restaurant, the white sands of Camps Bay, and the beautiful scenery of the Cape of Good Hope where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet, continue to wow visitors to Cape Town.
Places to visit
Amidst an atmosphere charged with anticipation and excitement, the first day of the PHA4GE Conference burst onto the scene, igniting minds and sparking conversations that promised to shape the future of pathogen genomics, globally.
With a line-up curated to address pressing challenges and explore new frontiers, attendees had the opportunity to engage deeply with a variety of workshop topics.
The final day of the #PHA4GECon featured training initiatives to insightful Working Group breakout sessions.
In the heart of intellectual exchange and ground-breaking discoveries, day two of the #PHA4GECon23 continued to push on with the future of pathogen genomics
