ASHG Annual Meeting 2026: A Scientific Program Guide for Your Research Itinerary
Information checked on September 14, 2026. The ASHG Annual Meeting 2026 will be held in Montréal from October 20 to 24. If you already plan to attend, start by writing the one question you need the meeting to help solve. Then use the publicly posted program to identify the dates that matter. This makes scheduling conflicts easier to resolve.
For official ASHG 2026 meeting dates and future meeting information, please visit: https://www.ashg.org/meetings/future-past/
The official Daily Program can be browsed by date, topic, author, and presenter. Registered and logged-in attendees can save a personal itinerary and notes. This guide turns the publicly available program into three working steps: build a shortlist, decide when an ancillary activity is worth the time, and turn the results into a personal schedule. Recheck sessions, times, rooms, and abstract availability in the Planner on the day you use it.
For the searchable Daily Program and personal Planner, please visit: https://ashgmeeting.ashg.org/programs/daily-program/
GenomeCast currently lists several presentation formats and their lengths. Knowing how each format works makes it easier to choose where to spend your time.
For official presentation-format descriptions, please visit: https://ashgmeeting.ashg.org/attend/genomecast/
| Format | Current public description | Question to ask before adding it to your itinerary |
| Featured Symposium | 90 minutes, with four expert talks and Q&A | Would a sequence of expert perspectives help me sharpen a question in this field? |
| Plenary Abstract Session | A 13-minute presentation followed by live Q&A | Will this plenary session advance my primary research question? |
| Platform Abstract Session | A 10-minute presentation plus 5 minutes of Q&A | Do I need to examine specific study designs, data, or methodological details more closely? |
| Lightning Talks | Three-minute presentations grouped by topic | Would a quick scan of emerging directions help me decide whether to follow up on a poster or contact an author? |
1.0 Prioritize dates by research task
Start with one question that would genuinely change your itinerary. Then decide which days deserve priority. Use the terms below as starting points when searching the Daily Program.
| Research task | Priority dates | Public program search terms | What to verify in the Planner |
| Variant interpretation, functional annotation, long-read genomics, and isoforms | Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22 | sequence-to-function models, long-read genomics, isoform-resolved biology | Speaker, study population, data type, methodological approach, and fit with your current research setup |
| Population genetics, cohorts, genetic epidemiology, multi-omics, and multi-ancestry analysis | Wednesday, October 21, and Friday, October 23. If your work involves global implementation, also consider Saturday, October 24. | All of Us, population genetics Lightning Talks, MAMO | Cohort and population composition, analytical approach, data-integration strategy, and cross-ancestry interpretation |
| Rare disease, undiagnosed disease, functional evidence, and diagnostic or translational research | Thursday, October 22, and Friday, October 23 | long-read genomics, Resolving Rare Disease | Study population, degree of functional validation, limits of the evidence, and specific methodological gaps |
These dates and sessions are drawn from the currently posted GenomeCast program and are intended to help you build a shortlist. Check each item in the Daily Program before you travel.
Before you travel, confirm each item in the current Daily Program: https://ashgmeeting.ashg.org/programs/daily-program/
1.1 Variant interpretation, functional annotation, and long-read genomics
If your main question concerns variant effects, functional readouts, long-read genomics, or transcript resolution, put Wednesday and Thursday on your shortlist first. On Wednesday, start with sequence-to-function models for variant effect predictions. On Thursday, look for long-read genomics from biobanks to the clinic and isoform-resolved biology.
Review the speaker, study population, data type, and method before deciding whether a session fits your current research setup. If your project brings together variant effects and genomic function, check the Friday IGVF Featured Symposium as well. If you need help with AI-assisted variant interpretation or pangenome methods, check the current status of relevant activities on the Pre-Meeting and Workshops page.
For current pre-meeting and workshop information, please visit: https://ashgmeeting.ashg.org/events/pre-meeting-and-workshops/
1.2 Population genetics, multi-omics, and multi-ancestry analysis
If you work on cohorts, genetic epidemiology, multi-omics, or multi-ancestry analysis, prioritize Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday, the All of Us Featured Symposium and population genetics Lightning Talks offer starting points for a population-focused search. On Friday, the MAMO Platform session can help you continue screening multi-ancestry multi-omics work.
Compare cohort and population composition, analytical approaches, data-integration strategies, and cross-ancestry interpretation. If cross-population or cross-regional implementation is central to your work, the Saturday Globalizing Human Genetics session is an additional checkpoint. Otherwise, reserve Saturday for a more directly relevant session.
1.3 Rare disease, diagnostics, and translational genomics
If your work involves rare disease, undiagnosed disease, functional evidence, or diagnostic research, use Thursday and Friday as a starting pair. The Thursday long-read genomics session and Friday Resolving Rare Disease Platform session provide two candidate entry points.
When the Planner or abstracts are available, examine the study population, the depth of functional validation, and how the presentation states its interpretive limits. This keeps research discussions distinct from clinical decisions. If you need to fill a gap in AI-enabled multi-omics tools or variant-interpretation methods, add a relevant workshop to your shortlist. Use poster time to ask about methodological details or data constraints.
1.4 When your direction falls outside the three example routes
ASHG covers many more topics than the examples in this table. Write down one primary research question and one backup question, then use the Daily Program filters for date, topic, author, and presenter to make a shortlist. Choose one first-choice session and one backup for each question. Then decide whether workshops, posters, and networking events are worth the time.
To search by date, topic, author, or presenter, please use the official Daily Program: https://ashgmeeting.ashg.org/programs/daily-program/
2.0 Add workshops, posters, and networking only when they fill a research-task gap
Once your core schedule is roughly set, consider ancillary activities. Each serves a different purpose and needs its own decision rule before it goes on your calendar.
| Activity | When to add it | What to verify before you travel |
| Workshop | When it addresses a specific method, tool, or analytical gap | Advance registration, fees, capacity, date, location, and activity status |
| Poster | When you need to ask an author about methods or data limitations | Current poster sessions, location, and relevant topics |
| SIG or networking event | When you have a relevant methods community or translational question to discuss | Current topic, time, location, and activity status |
2.1 Workshops: first ask whether they solve a problem at hand
Before registering, identify the precise method, tool, or analysis gap in your project that a workshop would address. Then weigh whether the earlier arrival and extra cost are justified. Finally, ask whether a scheduled presentation, poster, or other resource could answer the same question. Until you can answer those questions clearly, do not let a workshop displace a scientific session you have already selected.
The Pre-Meeting and Workshops page currently lists relevant activities on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday, and notes advance registration and additional fees. The page includes Nextflow for Omics, AI-assisted variant interpretation, Human Pangenome Release 3, and AI-enabled multi-omics tools for rare and undiagnosed disease. Treat these as possible ways to fill a methods gap. Check registration status, price, capacity, and exact timing on the page when you finalize your schedule.
For workshop registration, fees, capacity, and timing, please visit: https://ashgmeeting.ashg.org/events/pre-meeting-and-workshops/
2.2 Posters and SIGs: bring a question you need answered
The Exhibit Hall page currently lists poster sessions on Wednesday and Friday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and on Thursday from 4:15 to 6:15 p.m. Reserve poster time when you want to compare two methods, probe data limitations, or contact a specific author. Without a concrete question, your core scientific schedule generally takes precedence.
For current poster-session information and Exhibit Hall details, please visit: https://ashgmeeting.ashg.org/events/exhibit-hall/
The Connection and Networking page currently lists the Genetic Counselor SIG and the Phenotypes, Genotypes, & Disease Biology SIG on Wednesday from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.; the Computational Genomics, AI, & Statistical Genetics SIG on Thursday in the same time slot; and the Emerging Omics & Clinical Translational Research SIG on Friday in the same time slot. Choose based on the methods or translational problem you want to discuss. Bring one question to each time slot so you can judge whether it is worth reserving.
For current SIG and networking-event details, please visit: https://ashgmeeting.ashg.org/events/connection-and-networking/
3.0 Turn candidate sessions into a daily schedule you can actually follow
The dates in the tables are only a starting point. Once you open your calendar, label each block by role so you know what to keep when conflicts arise.
3.1 First assign each time slot a role
| Itinerary slot | What to put in it | How to handle conflicts |
| Core session | A session that could change your study design, data selection, or interpretation | Keep it. Swap it only if another session answers the same question more directly. |
| Candidate session | A related session that still needs to be assessed from the abstract, study population, or speaker | Compare the study populations, data types, and methods of the two sessions, then keep the one closer to your question. |
| Flexible block | Posters, SIGs, workshops, or social and networking events | Fill these in after core sessions are fixed. When conflicts arise, move this block first. |
Each day, lock in one core session and one candidate session. Use the remaining time for activities that fill a gap. This also gives newly added sessions a clear place when you return to the Planner.
3.2 Use three research routes to place sessions on your calendar
These examples turn publicly posted time slots into a first version of a personal calendar. They reserve space, not final decisions. Make your final choices against the current Planner and abstracts.
| Research task | First session to place on your calendar | Later sessions to consider | Question to record when saving a session |
| Variant effects, functional readouts, long-read genomics, or isoforms | Wednesday, 11:00 a.m., sequence-to-function models | Thursday, 8:15 a.m., long-read genomics; Thursday, 11:00 a.m., isoform-resolved biology. If connecting variant effects with genomic function is central to your project, also check Friday’s 8:15 a.m. IGVF session. | Could this presentation change the functional readout, data type, or analysis pipeline I need for my project? |
| Cohorts, genetic epidemiology, multi-omics, or multi-ancestry analysis | Wednesday, 8:15 a.m., All of Us; Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., population genetics Lightning Talks | Friday, 1:30 p.m., MAMO. If your work involves cross-regional implementation, also reserve Saturday at 11:15 a.m. | Do the population composition, data-integration approach, and cross-ancestry interpretation address my question? |
| Rare disease, undiagnosed disease, functional evidence, or diagnostic research | Thursday, 8:15 a.m., long-read genomics | Friday, 11:00 a.m., Resolving Rare Disease. When the methodological gap is clear, compare relevant workshops or posters. | How closely do the study population, functional validation, and interpretive scope match the problem I am trying to solve? |
These prompts do not need to become full notes. One clear sentence is enough to help you decide, when a session changes at short notice, whether a candidate session is still worth keeping.
3.3 Use a one-line note to decide on follow-up after the meeting
The official Planner allows registered and logged-in attendees to save itineraries and notes. After a core or candidate session, record one line that will help you decide what to do next. You do not need a verbatim transcript.
| Note field | What to write | How to use it after the meeting |
| What the study is trying to answer | The concrete problem the study population, data, or methods address | Decide whether it connects to your primary question |
| Evidence to verify after the meeting | One data type, validation step, or analytical assumption | Decide whether to revisit the abstract or paper, or contact the author |
| Next action | Review a poster, follow up with an author, compare another session, or decide that no further follow-up is needed | Give your post-meeting review a clear order of priority |
Use this table alongside the itinerary roles. Core sessions should yield evidence that can advance your current project. Candidate sessions only need to tell you whether they are worth tracking further.
3.4 Final verification before locking your itinerary in the official Planner
– Confirm one core session, one candidate session, and one movable block of time each day.
– In the Daily Program, confirm that each session is still scheduled and check its time, room, abstract availability, and saved status.
To confirm the latest session time, room, and abstract status in the Planner, please visit: https://ashgmeeting.ashg.org/programs/daily-program/
– When adding workshops, verify advance registration, fees, capacity, date, and location.
– When planning to visit posters or attend SIGs, verify the day’s time slot, location, topic, and activity status.
– Do not designate an activity as core unless it can address your primary research question.
