Evolution in Health and Medicine
Organized by Peter Ellison, Diddahally R. Govindaraju, Randolph M. Nesse and Stephen C. Stearns
April 2-3, 2009
Washington, DC
Meeting Overview:
Evolution, genetics and medicine share a long and distinguished tradition. Although evolutionary biology and genetics merged during the Modern Synthesis of the mid- 20th century, medicine has remained isolated from the evolutionary half of the synthesis. This is somewhat surprising, given that the foundations for much of the present day medical and human genetics, were laid by the evolutionary insights of pioneering physicians long before DNA's functions were understood. Many medical applications of evolutionary biology are only now being recognized. This colloquium will include evolutionary biologists, physician scientists, human geneticists and biologists, epidemiologists, veterinary scientists and ethicists who are working towards an interdisciplinary synthesis that will bring the full power of evolutionary biology to bear in medicine, public health and related fields devoted to human and animal health and welfare.
Video Available
Introduction, Peter Ellison, Harvard University
Overview of Evolutionary Applications in Medicine
Randolph Nesse, University of Michigan
Session I: Evolutionary Genetics in Human Health
A. Genome Architecture and Natural Selection
Chair: Barbara Schaal, Washington University in St. Louis
Genome Architecture in Human Health
Michael Lynch, Indiana University
Reproductive Ecology and Reproductive Health
Peter Ellison, Harvard University
Phenotypic Selection
David Houle, Florida State University
B. Genetic and Epigenetic Factors
Chair: Diddahally Govindaraju, Boston University
Mutational Load and Health
Adam Eyre-Walker, University of Sussex
Genomic Rearrangements and Copy Number Variations
James Lupski, Baylor College of Medicine
Epigenetics, Evolution and Disease
Andrew Feinberg, Johns Hopkins University
Session II: Development, Demography, and Disease
Chair: Stephen Stearns, Yale University
Dissecting the Genetic Architecture of Human Fertility Traits
Carole Ober, University of Chicago
Intergenerational Transfers and the Evolution of the Human Life Cycle
David Haig, Harvard University
The Evolution of Contemporary Human Health
Stephen Stearns, Yale University
Evolution and Aging and Age Related Disorders
Caleb Finch, University of Southern California
Session III: Gene by Environment Interactions and Complex Diseases
Chair: Peter Ellison, Harvard University
Evolutionary Pathways of Drug Resistance
Daniel Hartl, Harvard University
Evolution and Cancer
Steven Frank, University of California, Irvine
Inbreeding, Human Evolution, and Complex Diseases
Alan Bittles, Edith Cowan University
Annual Sackler Public Lecture
Introduction
Ralph Cicerone, President, National Academy of Sciences
Evolution and the Future of the Earth
Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University
Session IV: Co-Evolution of Pathogen and Hosts
Chair: Jeffrey Flier, Harvard University
The Emergence and Evolution of Viral Pathogens
Edward Holmes, Pennsylvania State University
The Evolution of Pathogen Resistance
Carl Bergstrom, University of Washington
Evolution and the Immune System
Christopher Dascher, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Coevolution of Parasites and Immunity
Kathleen Barnes, Johns Hopkins University
Session V. Evolution, Mental health and Therapeutics
Chair: Randolph Nesse, University of Michigan
Environment and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Ezra Susser, Columbia University
The Genomic and Cognitive Architecture of Autism and Psychosis
Bernard Crespi, Simon Fraser University
Genomic Analysis of Schizophrenia Guided by an Evolutionary Model
Mary-Claire King, University of Washington
Keynote Address:
Evolution, Health and Medicine
Harvey Fineberg, President, Institution of Medicine
Session VI: Changing Future Trajectories for Evolution in Medicine and Public Health
Chair: Mary-Claire King, University of Washington
Bringing Evolutionary Biology into Medical Education
Jeffrey Flier, Harvard University, Peter Gluckman, University of Auckland, Mark Schwartz, NYU
Policy Recommendations and Final Thoughts
Gilbert Omenn, University of Michigan, Randolph Nesse, University of Michigan, David Valle, Johns Hopkins University
Summary of the Meeting
Stephen Stearns, Yale University