Summer School
Our annual Summer School in Brain Disorders Research is held at one of the world's leading centres on neuropsychiatric genetics and genomics.
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, this year's summer school has been cancelled. We hope to hold the next course in July 2021.
This four-day course takes place at the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics at Cardiff University, usually in July.
The aim of the summer school is to provide trainees and scientists with a grounding in brain disorders research and to inspire and inform the researchers of tomorrow.
The summer school includes talks, demonstrations and interactive sessions on a range of topics in psychiatry, neurology and neuroscience including:
- neuroimaging
- psychiatric epidemiology
- genetics and epigenetics
- high-throughput sequencing demonstrations
- manipulation of stem cells
- phenotypic assessments
- ethics in genetic research
The summer school also includes workshops on scientific careers and academic fellowships.
Programme
An example of our usual programme:
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 12:00 | Registration and lunch |
| 13:00 | Introduction Prof James Walters |
| 13:10 | Why this is the best time for neuroscience in psychiatry Prof Jeremy Hall |
| 13:55 | Using MRI to understand mental disorders Dr Xavier Caseras |
| 14:40 | Principles of high-throughput sequencing: sample preparation, equipment Professor Nigel Williams |
| 15:25 | High-throughput sequencing tour: lab tours in small groups/coffee Ngoc-Nga Vinh and lab team |
| 16:25 | High-throughput sequencing tour: analysis and interpretation of sequencing data Dr Elliott Rees |
| 17:15 | Check-in for those with booked accommodation - you will be escorted from Hadyn Ellis |
| Time | Activity | |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Breakfast provided in the Hadyn Ellis building | |
| 09:00 | Developmental disorders, child and adolescent psychiatry Professor Stephan Collishaw | |
| 09:45 | Huntington's disease: translating genetics into therapies Dr Tom Massey | |
| 10:30 | Coffee | |
| 11:00 | Neuroimaging the impact of drugs of abuse Prof Anne Lingford-Hughes | |
| 11:45 | Understanding the neurobiology of addiction to inform treatment Prof Anne Lingford-Hughes | |
| 12:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:30 | Bipolar disorder, postpartum psychosis and the Bipolar Disorder Research Network (BDRN) Prof Ian Jones | |
| 14:15 | The genetics of movement disorders Dr Kathryn Peall/Dr Wilson Fung | |
| 15:00 | Coffee | |
| 15:15 | Big data and GWAS Prof James Walters | |
| 16:00 | Imaging Epilepsy Dr Khalid Hamandi |
18:00 Social evening: a meal at Cosy Club in Cardiff city centre
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | Breakfast provided in the Hadyn Ellis building |
| 09:00 | Copy Number Variants (CNVs) in neurodevelopmental disorders Prof George Kirov |
| 09:45 | Emerging technologies (CRISPR-Cas9); single cell sequencing and others) Prof Adrian Harwood |
| 10:30 | Making neurons from stem cell: lab tours in small groups / coffee Prof Adrian Harwood and lab team |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 | The epidemiology of schizophrenia Prof Stanley Zammit |
| 13:45 | Neural stem cell manipulation to repair brain injury Dr Malik Zaben |
Students split into two groups: medics and non-medics, and swap workshops
| Time | Activity | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30 | Workshop: Research careers in medicine Dr Kimberley Kendall | Neuroimaging tour for non-medical scientists Dr Tom Lancaster |
| 15:45 | Workshop: Careers for non-medical scientists Dr William Davies | Neuroimaging tour for medical scientists Dr Tom Lancaster |
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 07:45 | Check out of accommodation - check bags into Hadyn Ellis reception |
| 08:00 | Breakfast provided in the Hadyn Ellis reception |
| 09:00 | Measuring risk for Alzheimer's Disease Professor Valentina Escott-Price |
| 09:45 | Workshop: Social and ethical aspects of genetic research Dr Michael Arribas-Ayllon |
| 11:15 | Major breakthroughs in the genetics of neuropsychiatric disorders Professor Sir Michael Owen |
| 11:50 | The future of mental health research in Cardiff Professor Sir Michael Owen |
| 12:30 | Lunch and farewell |
Speakers
The programme is delivered by experts in their respective fields.
- Professor Sir Michael Owen
- Professor James Walters
- Professor Nigel Williams
- Professor Ian Jones
- Dr Will Davies
- Professor Valentina Escott-Price
- Dr Elliot Rees
- Dr Xavier Caseras
- Professor Jeremy Hall
- Professor Lawrence Wilkinson
- Professor Adrian Harwood
- Professor George Kirov
- Professor Anne Lingford-Hughes
- Professor Stephan Collishaw
- Professor Stanley Zammit
- Dr Kathryn Peall
- Dr Malik Zaben
Who can apply?
The summer school is aimed at clinical trainees (Foundation/Core/Specialty Training) and non-clinical scientists (MSc, PhD, Post Doc) who are interested in moving into the field of neuropsychiatric genetics and genomics, or those who want an introduction to brain disorders research.
We run a similar programme every year as an introduction to the research taking place at the MRC CNGG. Applications will not be accepted for those who have previously attended.
How to apply
We will not be accepting applications this year due to the global health crisis. We hope to hold our next school in July 2021 and will provide details on how to apply earlier in the year.
Contact
For more information, please contact us:
