The US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health (OMH) seeks input from Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and AAPI-serving organizations to inform the development of guidance for advancing cultural competency, language access, and sensitivity toward AAPIs in the context of the Federal Government’s COVID-19 response. OMH also seeks comments on best practices set forth by public health organizations and experts for mitigating racially discriminatory language in describing the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The deadline to submit comments is August 17
• More information HERE.

The ISCC-PEG Scholars Program as an excellent opportunity for trainees and students with an interest in genetics/genomics and education.  ISCC-PEG is an NHGRI committee focused on healthcare provider genomics education (gov/iscc).  Members collaborate to identify educational needs and potential solutions, share best practices in educational approaches and develop educational resources.  Membership includes over 180 representatives from societies, professional organizations, NIH institutes, industry as well as individuals with expertise in medical education.

• Due Sep 1, see following link for more information: https://www.genome.gov/careers-training/Professional-Development-Programs/ISCC-PEG-Scholars-Program

The APHL Newborn Screening Symposium addresses state, national and international newborn screening, genetic testing and policy issues important to public health newborn screening systems. Reports from around the globe, the challenges faced and the data generated are emphasized. Topics include molecular technologies, current and upcoming conditions, quality improvement, communicating with families and the public, and short- and long-term follow-up.

• ​The purpose of this symposium is to enhance participant knowledge of national and international newborn screening and genetics as related to emerging laboratory technologies, follow-up, candidate conditions, quality improvement and clinical outcomes.
• October 5-14 | Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays | Virtual Conference
• Registration: https://www.aphl.org/conferences/NBS-Symposiums/Pages/default.aspx

Precision public health is a new field of inquiry that applies genomics and other big data tools and technologies to the investigation and control of health threats in communities. A precision public health approach to COVID-19 requires rapid and iterative collection, analysis, and visualization of genomic, epidemiologic, geospatial, and contact tracing data. In most cases, these data include personally identifiable information (PII). For more information, or to register, go to: https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/events/microbetrace.htm

• Rare Disease Day is almost here! Don’t Miss Behind the Mystery: Rare and Genetic, Airing on Lifetime’s The Balancing Act on February 24
• Get ready to #ShowYourStripes and tune in to Lifetime on February 24 at 7:30am ET for a very special edition of Behind The Mystery! In partnership with the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and WEGO Health, Lifetime’s The Balancing Act will present a special Rare Disease Day segment of Behind the Mystery: Rare and Genetic, its recurring rare disease series.

The 2020 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting will be held in San Antonio from March 17-20.  Discounted registration is available until February 14. https://www.acmgmeeting.net/acmg2020/Public/mainhall.aspx?ID=3318&sortMenu=101000

• National Meeting on Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (x-ALD) Newborn Screening | April 15–16, Washington, DC
   
• Short Term Follow-Up National Meeting | May 12–13, Seattle, Washington
   
• Continuous Quality Improvement National Meeting | June 24–26, Washington, DC
• Newborn Screening & Genetic Testing Symposium | October 18–22, Des Moines, Iowa

Save the Date! 2020 National Newborn Screening Meetings

• National Meeting on Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (x-ALD) Newborn Screening | April 15–16, Washington, DC
   
• Short Term Follow-Up National Meeting | May 12–13, Seattle, Washington
   
• Continuous Quality Improvement National Meeting | June 24–26, Washington, DC
  
  
• Newborn Screening & Genetic Testing Symposium | October 18–22, Des Moines, Iowa

APHL is collaborating with the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) and RTI International to improve outcomes for infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) detected through newborn screening. 

APHL is able to provide screening implementation support via training workshops, focused site reviews, webinars and direct funding/implementation awards. We are also able to provide access to educational resources as needed for laboratory and follow-up professionals, as well as link you to our partners who can provide broader educational resources.

The APHL NBS Health Information Technology (HIT) Workgroup identified the need for NBS programs to be able to successfully recruit qualified public health informatics candidates. The workgroup developed four editable, examples of position descriptions within this toolkit. Visit NewSTEPs.org for more HIT-related resources.