2026 World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics

Education Day | Day, Date, Time

Morning Session: Multi-Omic Analyses - Current Approaches, Challenges and Opportunities

Speakers: Riccardo Marioni, Xueyi Shen, Mark Adams

This half-day workshop will provide an accessible overview of current approaches, challenges, and opportunities in multi-omic analyses. The workshop will include three talks covering the use of epigenetics, proteomics, metabolomics and QTL data analysis. The talks will cover practical tips and the latest technological advances in using and assessing these biomarkers, and using causal inference to inform molecular mechanisms.

 

Schedule of Events- NEED TO UPDATE

8:00 - 8:05 AM - Introduction - Janitza Montalvo Ortiz, PhD

8:05 - 8:35 AM - Introduction to the genetics of psychiatric disorders I (Humberto Nicolini, MD)

  • History, epidemiology, and global context
  • Clinical instruments

8:35 - 9:30 AM – Introduction to the genetics of psychiatric disorders II (José Jaime Martínez Magaña, PhD and Henriette Raventós, MD, PhD)

  • Study design
  • Human genome, molecular terminology, molecular concepts employed in the clinic.
  • Molecular approaches: DNA extraction, SNP/genotypes, GWAS, meta-analysis, “fine mapping”, epigenetics, RNA sequencing).

Coffee break

 9:45 - 10:30 AM - Psychiatric genetic findings I - Linkage and allelic association (Paola Giusti-Rodríguez, PhD)

10:30 - 11:15 AM- Psychiatric genetic findings II – copy number variants (CNV), exome, whole genome sequencing (Maria Eduarda Tavares, PhD)

11:15 am - 12:00 PM- Psychiatric genetic findings III - rare variants (Gabriela Chavarría, PhD)

12:00 - 12:30 PM -  Q&A and discussion

Lunch

1:30 - 2:15 PM - Clinical application of psychiatric genetic findings: polygenic risk scores (PRS) and pharmacogenomics (Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, MD)

 2:15 - 3:00 PM - Challenges and next steps: panel and open discussion (Janitza Montalvo-Ortiz, PhD)

Afternoon Session: PGC Grant Writing Workshop

Speakers: Lea Davis, Thalia Eley, Cathryn Lewis, Andrew McIntosh

This three-hour workshop will provide practical guidance on preparing competitive grant and fellowship applications. Delivered by senior investigators, the session will combine short talks to cover the core features of strong applications, including how to write a compelling abstract or specific aims, identify suitable funding opportunities, and develop robust budgets with clear justifications. It will also address the characteristics of successful fellowship and collaborative grant proposals, as well as strategies for maximising impact beyond the grant through dissemination, policy engagement, and partnerships with industry.

 

Schedule of Events --NEED TO UPDATE

8:00 – 8:05 AM - Opening Remarks: Welcome and Introductions, Overview of the day’s events

8:05 – 8:50 AM - Primer on AI/ML Terminology, Models, and Applications in Biology Psychiatry (Jonathan Hess)

8:50 – 9:35 AM - Guidelines for REporting Machine Learning Investigations in Neuropsychiatry (GREMLIN) (Stephen Glatt)

9:35 – 9:50 AM - Pre-Break Q&A Panel: Co-moderators & Speakers - 15 minutes

9:50 – 9:55 AM - BREAK

9:55 – 10:40 AM - Ethical Considerations of AI (Lukoye Atwoli)

10:40 – 11:25 AM - Use AI tools to improve research efficiency (Chunyu Liu)

11:25 – 11:40 AM - Pre-Break Plenary Q&A Panel: Co-Moderators & Speakers

11:40 AM – 12:30 PM – Lunch Break

12:30 – 1:15 PM - Applications of AI in Genomics (Isabelle Bichindaritz)

1:15 – 2:00 PM - A Gentle Introduction to Using Simulation to Understand AI (Kristin Nicodemus)

2:00 – 2:45 PM - AI for Mental Health Care in Africa: Bridging Data Gaps and Advancing Equity through Scalable Innovation (Itunuoluwa Isewon)

2:45 – 3:00 PM - Wrap-up Q&A & Concluding Remarks: Co-Chairs joined by all speakers