Join us for the next in the series of webinars from the Genomics Theme, for this one we are collaborating with the Data Diversity Theme! For this webinar we welcome Segun Fatumo PhD, FHEA - Professor and Chair of Genomic Diversity, Precision Healthcare University Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London

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Topic: 

Equity in Health and Diverse Genomes: Unveiling Africa's Potential

Abstract:

Since the first human genome was sequenced about twenty years ago, advances in genome technologies have resulted in whole-genome sequencing and microarray-based genotyping of millions of human genomes. However, genetic and genomic research is primarily focused on populations of European ancestry. As of June 2021, for example, the vast majority of genomics studies, including genome-wide association studies (GWAS), had been conducted in people of European descent (86.3%), followed by East Asian (5.9%), and African (1.1%) populations. While the proportion of samples from people of European ancestry has increased from 81% in 2016 to 86% in 2021, the proportion of samples from underrepresented groups has either remained stagnant or decreased.

As a result, the many underrepresented populations may miss out on the potential benefits of genomic research, such as a better understanding of disease aetiology, early detection and diagnosis, rational drug design, and improved clinical care. To improve representation of Africans in genomic studies, new genomic initiatives are emerging from indigenous African populations. In my presentation, I will discuss the importance of genomic diversity and how we are using Africa's limited human genome resource to 1) discover novel disease susceptibility genetic loci, 2) refine association signals at new and existing loci, 3) develop and test polygenic scores to determine disease risk, 4) assess causal relationships in diseases, and 5) develop capacity for genomics research in Africa.

Speaker bio:

Professor Segun Fatumo is the head of NCD Genomics at the MRC Uganda and Chair of Genomic Diversity at Queen Mary University of London and. He specialises in NCD Genomics and Omics of African Populations. He co-led the first GWAS of cardiometabolic traits in Africa and led the first GWAS of Kidney functions in continental African populations.

He is the director of the KidneyGenAfrica Research Partnership Programme - A Partnership to Deliver Research and Training Excellence in Genomics of Kidney Disease in Africa.

Segun Fatumo is strongly committed to increasing diversity in genomic studies and was recently awarded the prestigious MRC Impact prize for advocating for the inclusion of Africa in genomic research and championing genetic risk prediction of complex diseases in Africa populations. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and is actively involved in capacity building across Africa.

Segun Fatumo received postdoctoral training in genetic epidemiology at the University of Cambridge and Wellcome Sanger Institute and a postdoctoral fellowship in Bioinformatics at the University of Georgia, Athens, USA. Prior to that, He had postgraduate training in Bioinformatics at the University of Cologne, Germany and Ph.D. in Computer Science (Bioinformatics specialization) from Covenant University, Nigeria.

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Please direct any questions about the webinar series to info@datascienceforhealthequity.com