A forum organized by Harvard Medical School’s Department of Genetics & the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering led by faculty, up-and-coming scientists, & leaders from business, television & film, faith, & education.

Details

Veritas Science Center, Harvard Medical School

77 Avenue Louis Pasteur
Boston, MA

November 7th, 2025

  • Light breakfast offered at 8 am (Room 350)
  • Program from 8:45 am - 5:00 pm (Room 350)
  • Reception from 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Room 350)
  • Dinner to follow (Elements Café)

By invitation

Contact Marnie Gelbart for information: mgelbart@pged.med.harvard.edu
 

HMS Genetics Logo

Wyss Institute logo

This event is being organized by the Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School and the Wyss Institute, and hosted in the Department of Genetics. The Department would like to thank the anonymous donors who share our vision for the event and are underwriting the event costs.

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Want to support or attend the forum?

Contact Us

Program at a Glance

Solutioning for People and the Planet, Ignite Talks, The Dark Matter of the Genome, Frontiers of Cancer Biology, Portraying Genetics in TV & Film, AI and the Future of Humanity

Tentative Schedule

We have an exciting lineup of topics, with ample time for discussion and networking.

Light Breakfast

Opening Remarks

Cliff Tabin, an gray-haired man in a suit



Cliff Tabin
Department Chair of Genetics
Harvard Medical School

Solutioning for People & the Planet - Part 1

Exploring immunity, neural circuitry & therapeutics, and environmental toxicants

Stephen Elledge, a bearded man with gray hair



Stephen Elledge
Gregor Mendel Professor 
of Genetics and of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Brielle Ferguson, a black woman with long hair twists, smiling



Brielle Ferguson
Assistant Professor of Genetics and Neurology
Harvard Medical School

 

Monica Coliacovo, a white woman with her brown hair pulled back, smiling



Monica Colaiacovo
Professor of Genetics
Harvard Medical School

Coffee Break

Solutioning for People & the Planet - Part 2

Engaging with communities: perspectives from business and faith
 

Doyle Karr, a white man with gray-blond hair, smiling


Doyle Karr
External Affairs Strategist,
Doyle XT LLC

Interfaith Panel
Imam Khalil Abdur-Rashid, A black man with glasses and a white cap


Imam Khalil Abdur-Rashid
Muslim Chaplain, Harvard University
Lecturer, Harvard Divinity School & 
Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Rabbi Getzel Davis, a white man with a beard and gray hair



Rabbi Getzel Davis
Director of Interfaith Engagement
Lecturer, Committee of Study of Religion, Harvard
Harvard University

Reverand Matthew Potts, a white man wearing a priest's collar, smiling



Rev. Professor Matthew Potts
Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church
Professor, Harvard Divinity School
Harvard University

Ignite Talks - Part 1

Awardees selected from the HMS Genetics “Ignite the Future of Genetics” competition:

A person with curly red hair, smiling
Brunette woman with a smile
Indiana Olson & Hannah Grunwald (Laboratory of Matt Harris)
Bearded brunette man
Daniel Stadtmauer (Laboratory of Cliff Tabin)

Lunch & Group Photo

With brief remarks from:

George Daley, a man with glasses and gray hair



George Q. Daley
Dean of Harvard Medical School

Storytelling & Genetics

The power of stories and portrayals in television and film

Wendy Calhoun, a Black woman with large glasses, bangs, and long hair
Wendy Calhoun, Storyteller, Writer & Producer


Wendy Calhoun is a Peabody award-winning TV writer/producer known for her work on Fox's Empire, The Rookie Feds, Prodigal Son, Station 19, Revenge, Nashville, and Justified. ​She is developing It Takes A Woman, a gripping family drama with DeVon Franklin/CBS Studios/Netflix. ​Wendy co-chairs the Alliance of Regenerative Medicine’s Sickle Cell Disease Gene Therapy Hollywood Think Tank, moderates panels for The Sloan Foundation, serves on the Board of Directors for the Geena Davis Institute, and is a creative advisor for Film Independent’s Global Media Makers and FX Imaginar TV Incubator. ​Wendy frequently speaks at the Austin Film Festival (AFF), including twice headlining AFF’s annual writers’ retreat at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico. She’s an honored NYU Tisch School of the Arts School of Film and Television alumnus.

A black woman with a sharp bob, smiling
Victoria Gray



Victoria Gray is a wife, mother, sickle cell warrior, and patient advocate. First person to be treated with CRISPR gene editing for sickle cell disease.


 

A woman with curly brown and highlighted short hair and glasses
Nicole Perlman,
Screenwriter

Nicole Perlman is best known for co-writing “Guardians of the Galaxy," “Captain Marvel,” and “Detective Pikachu." Her screenplays have won the Tribeca Film Festival's Sloan Foundation Grant for Science in Film, the Hugo Award, and the Ray Bradbury award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation. Nicole has been a Creative Advisor at the Sundance Screenwriting Labs for the past nine years, in addition to mentoring for the Sloan Foundation, Global Media Makers, Women in Film, the BlackList, and serving as Director of the Oxbelly Screenwriters Program in 2024. She is currently developing original television series for Searchlight, Netflix, and FX. Additionally, Nicole and her husband David are executive producing a new procedural called CIA, which premieres this Fall on CBS.

Frontiers of Cancer Biology

Unlocking new understandings of this disease and its progression

Dr. Naxarova, a white woman with pulled back brunette hair



Kamila Naxerova
Associate Professor of Genetics
Harvard Medical School

Ignite Talks - Part 2

Awardees selected from the HMS Genetics “Ignite the Future of Genetics” competition:

Balding brunette man wearing a blue shirt
A brunette man with a beard, smiing
David Cheek & Foivos Chatzidimitriou (Laboratory of Kamila Naxerova)
A brunette woman with a pink scarf
Himani Galagali (Laboratory of Gary Ruvkun)

Coffee Break

The Dark Matter of the Genome

Scott Kennedy, a blond man with glasses




Scott Kennedy
Philip and Aya Leder Professor of Genetics,
Harvard Medical School

Julia Li, an asian woman with long dark hair, smiling



Julia Li
Assistant Professor of Genetics,
Harvard Medical School

AI & the Future of Humanity

Navigating new possibilities and ethical questions for scientists, students, and humanity
 

George Church, a white man with a gray beard, hair and glasses



George Church
Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics, Founding Core Faculty, Wyss Institute
Harvard University

Fabiene Monde, a black woman with long dreads and a gold bindi on her forehead



Fabienne Mondesir
Science Teacher, Boston Day & Evening Academy, Boston Public Schools

From Academia to Industry

Accelerating translation from the laboratory to applications that help people

A white man with curly gray hair, beard, and glasses



Don Ingber
Founding Director and Core Faculty, Wyss Institute;
Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology, Harvard Medical School & Boston Children’s Hospital

Reception

For early career scientists to meet with industry leaders

Dinner

Contact Us

To learn more about the Forum and opportunities to support, contact:

Marnie Gelbart, Ph.D.
Department of Genetics
Harvard Medical School

mgelbart@pged.med.harvard.edu