Advanced Gene Mapping Course
The Rockefeller University, New York
Monday through Friday, January 16-20, 2012

An advanced gene mapping course will be held in New York from Monday through Friday January 16-20, 2012. The cost of the 5-day course is $100. This fee covers tuition and course related expenses (handouts, etc.) but not room and board.

The course emphasis is analysis of complex human disease traits; concentrating on methods to detect rare and common variant associations. The course will include theory as well as practical exercises.  The exercises will be carried out using a variety of computer programs including R, PLINK, PSEQ, MACH, RarePower, Polyphen-2.  TOPICS include: Analysis of whole genome association studies; analysis of rare variants using next generation sequence data; qualitative and quantitative traits; functional predication of variant sites, population and family based; controlling for population substructure (principal components analysis); data quality control; imputation of genotype data; meta-analysis; gene x gene interaction; sample size estimation and evaluating power.  

The instructors for the course are: Goncalo Abecasis (University of Michigan), Heather Cordell (University of Newcastle), Suzanne Leal (Baylor College of Medicine & The Rockefeller University), Shaun Purcell (Mount Sinai & Harvard University) and Shamil Sunyaev (Harvard University).

The maximum number of participants is 24. The course will take place in the teaching room of the Weiss Building at The Rockefeller University, which is equipped with PCs running under LINUX. The course is wheel chair accessible.

Eight travel stipends of up to $1,300 each are available to eligible participants from U.S. institutions. Eligibility requirements are: (1) sufficient background and practical experience in statistical analysis of genetic data, and (2) demonstrated financial need. Preference for stipends will be given to pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers. To apply for such a stipend, please attach a letter of request and enclose a letter of reference and proof of student or postdoctoral status.

Knowledge of linkage analysis, genetic association analysis, genetic epidemiology and/or statistical genetics is screening criteria for selection of participants. Please describe your experience in detail in your application. We may contact you personally to discuss your application. Although experience of using LINUX is not necessary it is highly beneficial to have basic knowledge of this operating system.

For additional information, please contact Katherine Montague:
email: montagk@rockefeller.edu
Tel: +1 (212) 327-7979

For additional information on scientific program contact the course organizer Suzanne Leal:
email:sleal@bcm.edu or suzannemleal@gmail.com
Tel: +1 (713) 798-4011

Application deadline is Friday, December 2, 2011

Click here for application form

Click here for course flyer – Please Post and Distribute

Click here for course schedule

This course is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) - National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).