#363 ASHG 2025 Recap: AI Diagnostics, Genetics Publications & Losing NIH Funding
We just wrapped an incredible week at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2025 Annual Meeting in the historic Boston, Massachusetts! This year’s gathering brought together thousands of geneticists, clinicians, and innovators to share discoveries that are reshaping the field.
In this episode of DNA Today, host Kira Dineen takes you inside the conference experience, from lively poster sessions and thought-provoking sessions to spontaneous hallway conversations that sparked new ideas. You’ll hear from researchers pushing the boundaries of genomic medicine, genetic counselors reflecting on the future of the profession, and industry leaders unveiling the latest breakthroughs in sequencing and data interpretation.
The energy in Boston was electric, collaboration and networking were the keywords of the week, and optimism about the future of genetics filled every session. Whether you attended in person or are catching up from afar, this recap captures the highlights, trends, and takeaways that defined ASHG 2025.
Sessions Recapped & Conference Aspects Explored
Ivy Bethea’s presentation, “Comparing the Diagnostic Capability of Large Language Models and Clinical Geneticists,” was discussed. She was the first genetic counseling trainee to deliver a plenary talk at the conference. Ivy Bethea is a recent graduate of the The Columbia University Program in Genetic Counseling.
We also teamed up with Wiley Advanced Portfolio to co-host a breakfast where our host Kira Dineen moderated a panel exploring the publishing landscape in genetics. Highlights from this session were recapped and reflected upon.
The expert that holds the record for most guest appearances on DNA Today is Dr. Eric Green, who received the prestigious and well deserved ASHG 2025 Leadership Award. We reflect on his acceptance speech filled with wisdom for genetic experts to be leaders. We recognized the absence of many of his colleagues at the NIH as they were not permitted to travel to the conference during the US government shutdown and the impact it had at the conference overall. We also discussed how funding has drastically changed from the NIH and how that is affecting genetic research in the US.
Guests
Dr. Yuming Hu is a scientist turned publisher who serves as part of the editorial leadership at Wiley’s Advanced Portfolio. She has ten years of research experience, focusing on plant biology and environmental sciences. Before joining Wiley in 2022, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Tsinghua University, China. She had also worked as a research assistant at the University of California, Davis. Yuming obtained her Ph.D. in biochemistry and biotechnology from Ghent University, Belgium. She studied biotechnology, and got her M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees from Wageningen University, the Netherlands. Yuming brings a global and cross-disciplinary perspective to how research is shared, discovered, and amplified.
Dr. Elizabeth Bhoj is an attending physician and researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. Her work focuses on discovering new genetic disorders, understanding how they work, and developing targeted therapies, bringing hope to families facing rare diseases. At the conference, she was the recipient of the ASHG Early Career Award, recognizing her extraordinary contributions to human genetics.
Alex Bates is a science communications expert with 20 years of experience leading national, metric-driven campaigns across government, nonprofit, and startup sectors. She is co-founder of The Science Underground, LLC, which crafts culturally competent, science-backed communications for early-stage startups and major consortia. Most recently, she served as Communications Director at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), where she led award-winning outreach on topics like the history of eugenics and helped establish NHGRI’s global reputation for innovative public engagement, work that ended with the April 1 HHS layoffs. Alex previously led communications for the National Science Foundation’s Engineering Directorate and BRAIN Initiative, earning Director’s Awards for both Excellence Pioneer and Diversity and Inclusion, and managed BrainFacts.org, a $1.2M science education initiative. She holds master’s degrees in journalism and astronomy, and a bachelor’s degree in physics and English.
Science Communication Resources:
The Science Underground, for all your science communication consultation needs
NHGRI symposium confronts difficult pasts of eugenics and scientific racism
Publishing Resources:
Relevant DNA Today Podcast Episode:
#182 Eric Green on the Complete Human Genome Project
#183 Dr. Miga and Dr. Phillippy on the Telomere to Telomere (T2T) Consortium
#260 PhenoTips: Population Genomics in Clinical Practice
#306 NIH’s Dr. Francis Collins’ Leadership in the Human Genome Project and COVID-19
#337 How to Get Your Research Published: Insight from Wiley’s Advanced Portfolio Journal Editors
#345 How To Talk About DNA Without Losing People: Strategies Part 1
#350 How To Talk About DNA Without Losing People: Strategies Part 2
#361 The Economics of Genetic Counseling: Policy, Industry & Career Advice
Stay tuned for a future episode where Drs. Yuming Hu and Elizabeth Bhoj return to the show to share more insight into the science publishing world.
Also we hope to see you in Seattle for the next national genetics conference, National Society of Genetic Counselors which kicks off on November 6th with pre-conference workshops including one with our host Kira Dineen, “Think Big, Start Small: A Practical Guide to Entrepreneurship”.
Brush up on your French before next year’s ASHG conference, we are heading to Montréal, Canada in October 2026!
Get ready, genetic nerds—another brand-new episode of DNA Today drops this Friday! You can always count on us to deliver fresh content every Friday.
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DNA Today is hosted and produced by Kira Dineen, MS, LCGC, CG(ASCP)CM . Our Video Lead is Amanda Andreoli. Our Social Media Lead Liv Davidson. And our logo Graphic Designer is Ashlyn Enokian, MS, CGC.
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