The 18th HFSP Awardees Meeting took place at the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Canada. The scientific sessions were held in the state-of-the-art auditorium of this 21-storey tower that hosts researchers from all over the world committed to advancing paediatric research.
The Awardees Meeting was attended by 185 participants including HFSP awardees and alumni and members of the HFSPO Board of Trustees, Council of Scientists and Review Committees. This year there were 25 oral presentations and 28 three-minute 'poster teaser' talks which preceded the poster sessions. 70 posters were presented during the three poster sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
We are grateful to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), SickKids and the University of Toronto for their assistance and support. This year's social programme included a reception, hosted by the University of Toronto, in the beautiful grounds of Hart House and the farewell reception, which took place in the impressive art deco surroundings of The Carlu.
Nakasone Lecture
A Neandertal perspective on human origins
Svante Pääbo, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
Invited Lecture
Designing biology for health and sustainability
Pamela Silver, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA