Following on from a Fusion funded workshop hosted by BU on Psychiatric Genetic Counselling in February, two PGR students, Zara Ghodsi and Rosa Spencer-Tansley were invited by Dr Franziska Degenhardt to spend two weeks of training in Neurogenetics at the University of Bonn, Germany this May.
The course comprised the basis of human molecular genetics and disease gene identification in the first week and molecular genetics of specific disorders and novel statistical analysis of genetic studies in the second week. Sessions were led by world leaders in the field, including Prof. Markus M. Nöthen.
Both BU PGR students said: “We were happy to find that the course comprised of a well-balanced mixture of molecular genetics and statistical analysis of genetic disorders. This meant we were able to consolidate our previous experiences in psychiatric genetic studies as well as expand our knowledge in new areas.”
They also added: “We found the discussions one of the most valuable aspects of this course; there was a wealth of experience and variety of viewpoints and ideas being shared amongst both lecturers and other students. This aspect of the course made us to evaluate what we had learnt already, consider future directions in the field of psychiatric genetics, and reflect on how we can integrate this information into our research projects. We enjoyed the whole experience of taking this course, exploring the beautiful city of Bonn and the rich culture of Germany”.
Their supervisor, Dr Kevin McGhee said: “I am delighted that both of my PGR students were offered this opportunity. I would like to personally thank Dr Degenhardt for her generosity and for the useful advice she gave Zara and Rosa on moving their projects forward. The course has provided further networking and collaborative opportunities for my students, hopefully leading to quality publications in the near future. On their return, we also identified how we will incorporate some of the course information into the final UG year Genetics unit.”
Zara will next be presenting a poster at the European Society of Human Genetics in Glasgow in June and Rosa is analysing her data for presentation at the World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics in Toronto in October. Zara is also supervised by Dr Hossein Hassani and Dr Demetra Andreou.
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