Since the completion of the Human Genome Project over two decades ago, genomics has become progressively entrenched within the bedrock of the biomedical research enterprise. Capitalizing on the momentum of the project’s successful completion, the field of genomics has increasingly expanded and matured, such that genomics is now central and catalytic in basic and translational research, and studies now regularly demonstrate the vital role that genomic information can play in clinical care.

Looking ahead, the anticipated advances in technologies, biological insights, and clinical applications (among others) will lead to more widespread dissemination of genomics throughout biomedical research, a growing adoption of genomics into medical and public-health practices, and an increasing relevance of genomics in everyday life.

In this webinar, Eric Green, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at NIH, will discuss how the institute capitalizes on these opportunities by developing and leading initiatives that address the most pressing challenges at the forefront of genomics, with a particular emphasis on understanding the biological complexities of the human genome, on untangling the complex roles that genomic variants play in health and disease, and making genomics broadly and equitably integrated into medicine.

Speaker: Eric Green, MD, PhD

Former Director, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health

Eric Green is the former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He was the third NHGRI director, having been appointed by NIH director Francis Collins in 2009.

Green was at NHGRI for more than 30 years, during which he held multiple key leadership roles prior to becoming the director. He served as the Institute’s scientific director for seven years, chief of the Genome Technology Branch for 13 years, and founding director of the NIH Intramural Sequencing Center for 12 years.

For just over two decades, Green directed an independent research program that included integral start-to-finish roles in the Human Genome Project and groundbreaking work on mapping, sequencing, and characterizing mammalian genomes.

Green earned his medical degree and doctorate in 1987 from Washington University in St. Louis — coincidentally, the word “genomics” was coined in that same year. Throughout his career, he has authored and co-authored more than 395 scientific publications. Green has earned multiple honors and awards, including election to the National Academy of Medicine in 2023.