Successful workshop and conference on population genetics in Yaoundé, Cameroon

UCL’s Prof. Garrett Hellenthal and Dr. Nancy Bird ran a successful three-day workshop for post-graduate students and faculty at the University of Yaoundé I, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences entitled “Statistics and Genetic Data: Methods and Applications”. The three-day workshop covered statistical tests, population genetics and genome-wide association studies. This included lectures and hands-on computer practicals, with 100 booklets printed for the latter and handed out to participants. The lecture theatre was at capacity with 100 people, with others attending some components online via Zoom. Participant feedback was very positive, with students excited to learn about cutting-edge research and techniques, as well as to discuss their own research questions and network with local and international researchers. The conference was planned and organised with help from the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Esther Meka and the Inspector General of Programs, Teaching Methods, and Training at the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Prof. Paschal Kum Awah, who arranged the visit. Prof. Kum Awah has stressed a desire to accommodate more training workshops at University of Yaoundé I and elsewhere delivered by UCL. If interested, please get in touch with Nancy Bird and/or Garrett Hellenthal.

The workshop was followed by a two-day conference organised by Prof. Kum Awah. The conference was entitled “From Genes to Nationhood: Fine-scale genetic structure and historical admixture in Cameroon as drivers of unity and integration”. The conference began with a keynote address from the Minister of State and Minister of Higher Education, Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo, and an opening speech from the Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Foutsou Mounouna (pictured). Garrett and Nancy then presented their research on Cameroonian population genetics from Bird et al., (2023) (https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.abq2616). The conference also included contributions by Prof David Zeitlyn of University of Oxford, and presentations from Cameroonian researchers working in genetic history, personalised medicine, archaeology, sociology and anthropology. It was attended by researchers from the Universities of Yaoundé I and Buea, religious and youth leaders of Cameroon, and staff at the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civil Education. The presentations sparked rich discussions on how genetic research can inform national unity, scientific policy, and public education in Cameroon. At the conclusion of the conference, a list of declarations were made that involved a mandate for educating the youth about population and medical genetics research, and promoting future genetic research in Cameroon. Funding for both the workshop and conference was from the Wellcome Trust.