This list of presidents of the Human Genetics Society of Australasia (HGSA) includes all presidents since the society's creation in 1977.
Term | Name | Comments |
---|---|---|
1977-1979 | Anthony C Pollard AM [3] | |
1979-1981 | David M Danks AO [4] | |
1981-1983 | Charles Kerr AM [4] | |
1983-1985 | John H Pearn AO [5] | |
1985-1987 | Robert L Kirk [1] | |
1987-1989 | Cyril Chapman [6] | |
1989-1991 | Grant R Sutherland AC [7] | |
1991-1993 | O Margaret Garson AO [1] | |
1993-1995 | Robert Robertson [4] | |
1995-1997 | Jack Goldblatt AM [8] | |
1997-1999 | Bridget Wilken AM [9] | |
1999-2001 | Agnes Bankier [10] OAM | |
2001-2003 | Eric A Haan AO [11] | |
2003-2005 | Cynthia Roberts [12] | |
2005-2007 | John Christodoulou AM [13] | |
2007-2009 | David Thorburn [14] | |
2009 –2011 | Julie McGaughran [15] | |
2011 –2013 | Kevin Carpenter [16] | |
2013 –2015 | Joanne W Dixon [17] ONZM | |
2015–2017 | Mary-Anne Young [18] | |
2017–2019 | Michael Buckley [19] | |
2019–2021 | Vanessa Tyrrell [20] | |
2021-2023 | Alison McEwen [21] | |
2023-2025 | Yemima Berman |
Genetic counseling is the process of investigating individuals and families affected by or at risk of genetic disorders to help them understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. This field is considered necessary for the implementation of genomic medicine. The process integrates:
Humans, or modern humans, are the most common and widespread species of primate. A great ape characterized by their hairlessness, bipedalism, and high intelligence, humans have large brains, enabling more advanced cognitive skills that enable them to thrive and adapt in varied environments, develop highly complex tools, and form complex social structures and civilizations. Humans are highly social, with individual humans tending to belong to a multi-layered network of cooperating, distinct, or even competing social groups – from families and peer groups to corporations and political states. As such, social interactions between humans have established a wide variety of values, social norms, languages, and traditions, each of which bolsters human society. Humans are also highly curious: the desire to understand and influence phenomena has motivated humanity's development of science, technology, philosophy, mythology, religion, and other frameworks of knowledge; humans also study themselves through such domains as anthropology, social science, history, psychology, and medicine. As of December 1, 2023, there are about 8.1 billion humans alive.
Robertsonian translocation (ROB) is a chromosomal abnormality where the entire long arms of two different chromosomes become fused to each other. It is the most common form of chromosomal translocation in humans, affecting 1 out of every 1,000 babies born. It does not usually cause medical problems, however such individuals are almost always infertile because they are unable to produce gametes with the correct number of chromosomes. In rare cases this translocation results in Down syndrome and Patau syndrome. Robertsonian translocations result in a reduction in the number of chromosomes. A Robertsonian evolutionary fusion, which may have occurred in the common ancestor of humans and other great apes, is the reason humans have 46 chromosomes while all other primates have 48. Detailed DNA studies of chimpanzee, orangutan, gorilla and bonobo apes has determined that where human chromosome 2 is present in our DNA in all four great apes this is split into two separate chromosomes typically numbered 2a and 2b. Similarly, the fact that horses have 64 chromosomes and donkeys 62, and that they can still have common, albeit usually infertile, offspring, may be due to a Robertsonian evolutionary fusion at some point in the descent of today's donkeys from their common ancestor.
Medical genetics is the branch of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of hereditary disorders. Medical genetics differs from human genetics in that human genetics is a field of scientific research that may or may not apply to medicine, while medical genetics refers to the application of genetics to medical care. For example, research on the causes and inheritance of genetic disorders would be considered within both human genetics and medical genetics, while the diagnosis, management, and counselling people with genetic disorders would be considered part of medical genetics.
Julian Savulescu is an Australian philosopher and bioethicist of Romanian origins. He is Chen Su Lan Centennial Professor in Medical Ethics and director of the Centre for Biomedical Ethics at National University of Singapore. He was previously Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford, director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, and co-director of the Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities. He is visiting professorial fellow in Biomedical Ethics at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Australia, and distinguished visiting professor in law at Melbourne University since 2017. He directs the Biomedical Ethics Research Group and is a member of the Centre for Ethics of Pediatric Genomics in Australia. He is a former editor and current board member of the Journal of Medical Ethics, which is ranked as the No.2 journal in bioethics worldwide by Google Scholar Metrics, as of 2022. In addition to his background in applied ethics and philosophy, he also has a background in medicine and neuroscience and completed his MBBS (Hons) and BMedSc at Monash University, graduating top of his class with 18 of 19 final year prizes in Medicine. He edits the Oxford University Press book series, the Uehiro Series in Practical Ethics.
David Owen Sillence is an academic and medical geneticist. He is an emeritus professor at the University of Sydney, where he was the foundation chair (Professor) of Medical Genetics. An honours graduate of the University of Sydney, he obtained his MD in Medical Genetics from the University of Melbourne 1978 in bone dysplasia.
Behavioural genetics, also referred to as behaviour genetics, is a field of scientific research that uses genetic methods to investigate the nature and origins of individual differences in behaviour. While the name "behavioural genetics" connotes a focus on genetic influences, the field broadly investigates the extent to which genetic and environmental factors influence individual differences, and the development of research designs that can remove the confounding of genes and environment. Behavioural genetics was founded as a scientific discipline by Francis Galton in the late 19th century, only to be discredited through association with eugenics movements before and during World War II. In the latter half of the 20th century, the field saw renewed prominence with research on inheritance of behaviour and mental illness in humans, as well as research on genetically informative model organisms through selective breeding and crosses. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, technological advances in molecular genetics made it possible to measure and modify the genome directly. This led to major advances in model organism research and in human studies, leading to new scientific discoveries.
Aravinda Chakravarti is a human geneticist and expert in computational biology, and Director of the Center For Human Genetics & Genomics at New York University. He was the 2008 President of the American Society of Human Genetics. Chakravarti became a co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Genome Research in 1995, and of the Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics' in 2005.
Wim E. Crusio is a Dutch behavioral neurogeneticist and a directeur de recherche with the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Talence, France.
Kathryn Nance North is a paediatric physician, neurologist, and clinical geneticist. In 2013, she was appointed Director of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and was named the David Danks Professor of Child Health Research at the University of Melbourne. In 2012, North was appointed chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council Research Committee. In 2014, she was appointed vice chair of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) and co-chair of its Clinical Working Group.
Elective genetic and genomic testing are DNA tests performed for an individual who does not have an indication for testing. An elective genetic test analyzes selected sites in the human genome while an elective genomic test analyzes the entire human genome. Some elective genetic and genomic tests require a physician to order the test to ensure that individuals understand the risks and benefits of testing as well as the results. Other DNA-based tests, such as a genealogical DNA test do not require a physician's order. Elective testing is generally not paid for by health insurance companies. With the advent of personalized medicine, also called precision medicine, an increasing number of individuals are undertaking elective genetic and genomic testing.
Robert Williamson is a retired British-Australian molecular biologist who specialised in the mapping, gene identification, and diagnosis of human genetic disorders.
The Australasian Association of Clinical Geneticists (AACG) is a professional membership organization for medical specialists who are qualified to work in the field of clinical genetics. The Association was founded in 1995. As of 2021, the organization had approximately 180 members. The Association's members include fully qualified clinical geneticists from Australia and New Zealand as well as individuals training in the field from those jurisdictions. The Association is a Special Interest Group of the Human Genetics Society of Australasia (HGSA).
The Human Genetics Society of Australasia (HGSA) is a membership organization for individuals in the field of human genetics who primarily practise in the Oceania region. Members typically hold both a qualification in human genetics and work in the field. Membership is drawn from clinical, laboratory and academic specialties. Members include clinical geneticists; genetic counsellors; laboratory scientists ; and academics.
Grant Robert Sutherland is a retired Australian human geneticist and celebrated cytogeneticist. He was the Director, Department of Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics, Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital for 27 years (1975-2002), then became the Foundation Research Fellow there until 2007. He is an Emeritus Professor in the Departments of Paediatrics and Genetics at the University of Adelaide.
Lyn Robyn Griffiths is an Australian academic who serves as Distinguished Professor of molecular genetics at Queensland University of Technology, where she is director of the Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, the Genomics Research Centre and the BridgeTech Programs. Griffiths is internationally renowned for her work in the discovery of the genetics of migraine headaches.
John Christodoulou is an Australian medical geneticist, genetic pathologist and clinical scientist. He is director of the Genetics Theme and Group Co-Leader of the Brain and Mitochondrial Research Group at Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Additionally, he holds the Chair in Genomic Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne.
Elena Jane Tucker is an Australian geneticist and medical genomics researcher and a 2016 Rising Talent in the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards.