Benefits of Becoming a HUGO Member
Becoming a HUGO member is a special privilege open to all genetic and genomic scientists/researchers. Besides the importance of being affiliated with one of the most prestigious scientific organisations in the world, members also receive the following benefits:
- Reduced registration fees for HUGO events, conferences and training courses
- Annual voting to elect members to HUGO Council
- Access to announcements and information on this website
- Reduced subscription rates to two leading journals, The Annals of Human Genetics and Clinical Genetics, both published by Blackwell Publishing
- Reduced subscription rates to Science and AAAS
- Young scientists can apply for the HUGO Travel Award for educational visits
- Rights to nominate and vote at HUGO Council Member Election
- HUGO member network
- Free access to The HUGO Journal Online
- Discount for The HUGO Journal print subscription
Simply register online and upload the following documents to complete your application.
- Full contact details
- 1 page CV
- List of no more than 5 recent publications
- Brief statement about your research interests
For further enquiries, please feel free to email us at enquiry@hugo-international.org
HUGO membership is on annual renewal.
Students / Post Doctoral Fellows: £35
Non-Students: £50
For more information, see the HUGO membership FAQ.
The HUGO Journal
This post was contributed by Professor Anthony Brookes, Chairperson of the Human Genome Organization Publication Committee.
I wonder – does the world really need yet another bioscience journal? Probably not!
Instead, what the world does need is a trusted voice (like HUGO) which reaches out to the world and illuminates and debates the ways in which genetics & genomics are eventually starting to impact clinical medicine.
With this objective in mind, HUGO is launching The HUGO Journal, which will have features of both a journal and a database, aiming to publish high-profile papers and leverage web technologies to promote extensive data sharing.
This will consolidate the role of HUGO as a leading scientific organisation, and enable HUGO to continue promoting exciting new developments in the modern biomedical era. For example, The HUGO Journal will use advanced technologies to enable researchers to publish their discoveries, and actively support the field’s healthy trend towards early and complete data sharing. Hence, we can describe this project as a journal-database, rather than just a journal or just a database.
In short, The HUGO Journal aims to advance the whole culture of research and data publication, with an emphasis upon exploiting basic research for real-world medical progress, e.g., genomic medicine – certainly not just another bioscience journal!
To submit a manuscript to The HUGO Journal, please visit the Online Manuscript Submission, Review and Tracking System.
The HUGO Journal Joins Springer’s Biomedical Sciences Portfolio
Official Press Release, 11 July 2009
Prof. Anthony Brookes, Chairperson of the Human Genome Organization Publication Committee shares his thoughts on the new journal in this blog post – The HUGO Journal.
Starting in October 2009, Springer will publish The HUGO Journal in cooperation with the Human Genome Organisation (HUGO). Formerly published at Springer as Genomic Medicine, The HUGO Journal has a new design, new features and a new editorial team. Members of HUGO will receive free access to the journal online and be able to purchase print subscriptions at discounted rates.
The HUGO Journal will focus on discoveries arising from the basic, clinical and population explorations of the human genome and genomes of organisms relevant to human health. The journal will publish primary research papers of the highest quality as well as in-depth review articles on important topics pertaining to genomic medicine, human genetics, computational genomics and genomic technologies. The HUGO Journal will also publish key consensus reports and policy guidelines from the HUGO Council and its subcommittees. Several new sections featuring the description and utility of genomic databases as well as special reports on innovation and technology advances will be offered to foster the exchange of information relevant to genomic scientists.
“We are delighted to work with Springer to publish The HUGO Journal. In line with our new direction to focus on enhancing genomic capabilities, The HUGO Journal will definitely be an important instrument to promote knowledge, excitement and networking,” said Professor Edison Liu, President of HUGO and Executive Director of the Genome Institute of Singapore.
Peter Butler, Editorial Director, Biomedical Unit at Springer, said, “We are very pleased to be partnering with such a prestigious society. Working together with the Human Genome Organisation, we look forward to supporting the advance of genomics research.”
The Human Genome Organisation, an international organisation established in 1988, encourages collaboration among genome scientists around the world. Now that the human genome has been sequenced, the organisation is seeking the biological meaning of its information content and to this end, is focusing on the medical implications of genomic knowledge. HUGO also works to improve the genomic capabilities in the emerging countries of the world.
Springer is a leading global scientific publisher of books and journals, delivering quality content through innovative information products and services. It publishes close to 500 academic and professional society journals. Springer is part of the publishing group Springer Science+Business Media. In the science, technology and medicine (STM) sector, the group publishes around 2,000 journals and more than 6,500 new books a year, as well as the largest STM eBook Collection worldwide. Springer has operations in about 20 countries in Europe, the USA, and Asia, and more than 5,000 employees.
The HUGO Journal ISSN: 1877-6558 (print version), ISSN: 1877-6566 (electronic version)
FREE REGISTRATION for HUGO Genomics and Ethics, Law and Society Symposium
In less than two months, the Human Genome Organisation will be sponsoring a symposium on genomics and ethics, law and society focusing on the sequencing of individual genomes and its impact on society and ethics. The symposium will be held from 1 to 3 November 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland.
For two readers of the HUGO Matters blog, we’re excited to offer free registration (transportation, accomodations, and meals not included) worth $860 USD. All you have to do is email honyf@gis.a-star.edu.sg telling us what you hope to gain from attending the meeting and how you plan to share your experience, such as via Twitter or your blog.
The symposium promises to be thought provoking with experts from all over the world, abstracts of latest research, and exhibitors. Topics include:
- Science & Its Capabilities
- Personal Genomics: Redefining Privacy, Choice and the Internet
- Genetic Determinism, Discrimination, Exceptionalism and Selection
- Equity and Justice: Access & Participation in the Developing World
- Open Access, Open Markets: Intellectual Property?
Please let us know in the comments if you’re planning to attend!
HUGO Going Forward
When you think of the Human Genome Organisation, what words come to mind?
How about:
- Genome technology
- Applied genomics
- Science policy
- Bioethics
- Dynamic
- Relevant
- International
- Global
- Convergence
- Connectivity
- Engaging
- Contemporary
- Broker of ideas and strategies
- Genomics and global health
- Genomics medicine
Words that describe genetics and genomics in the 21st century.
And in the 21st century, this HUGO mission statement is the most critical at this stage of rapid development in genome technology:
To foster the interaction, coordination, and dissemination of information and technology between investigators and the global society in genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, systems biology, and the clinical sciences by promoting quality education, comprehensive communication, and accurate, comprehensive, and accessible knowledge resources for genes, genomes and disease
This mission will be impossible to achieve without strong leadership. Taking a look back at recent achievements in the field of human genetics, there have been growing numbers of associations found between genetic variants and various traits and conditions. These results are mostly from genome-wide association studies that have become a matter of routine. Unfortunately, the capability to analyze and understand the data that come from such studies remains limited by computing power and biological knowledge. Only a fraction of the the overwhelming flow of data has truly been fully analyzed and thoroughly understood.
Similarly, personal genomic testing companies that deliver data on thousands of SNPs for every customer are available as well but the impact on consumer health is still not clear. Not far behind, whole genome sequencing will be widely available within a few years for the target price of $1,000 per genome.
What will we do and what should we do with all this information?
There needs to be an unbiased, international organization willing to take the lead in organizing, evaluating, and guiding the use of genome technology and the application of genetic data in both the private and public sectors. HUGO is up to the challenge.
Photo: Singapore’s Marina Bay Pedestrian bridge symbolizes DNA’s double helix and highlights Singapore’s aspirations as a biomedical hub.
HUGO Overview
In 1988, a group of scientists at the famed Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory gathered to create a “UN for the human genome.” Dr. Victor McKusick, father of clinical medical genetics, was the Human Genome Organisation’s first president. Over the past 20 years, HUGO’s membership list has grown with members hailing from more than 20 countries. HUGO membership is open to scientists currently active in genetics research.
From the start, HUGO’s aims have been to coordinate research on the human genome as well as to provide support to young scientists through training and mentoring programs. HUGO is also concerned with the application of genomic medicine, drug discovery and related genomic tools and technology. Additionally, HUGO organizes meetings, workshops, and conferences to encourage discussion of issues important to the use of genomics for improving public health and society worldwide. Various committees focus on ethics, gene nomenclature, intellectual property, education and public awareness, and publications. To further encourage international collaboration, HUGO’s headquarters recently relocated to Singapore and is now housed at Biopolis, a biomedical research and development hub.
HUGO’s current president is Dr. Edison Liu whose career began at Stanford University where he received his bachelor’s and medical degrees. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Washington University, St. Louis, and clinical cancer fellowships at Stanford and UCSF. He has also been faculty at UNC Chapel Hill and Director of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Clinical Sciences from 1996 to 2001. Dr. Liu is currently affiliated with a number of top tier universities and is also Executive Director of the Genome Institute of Singapore. Of HUGO he says in the president’s message:
As I thought about HUGO in relation to the recent developments in genomics, I was left with two profound impressions. First, is that HUGO represents an international force with an important role to play especially with the rise of scientific capabilities in the emerging and developing countries in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. Second, that there is a need for a global organization to help guide all societies in the mature applications of genomics in medicine and public policy. The time for Genome Medicine has arrived and the need for HUGO has never been greater.
A full history of HUGO can be found on the main site in addition to the HUGO mission statements.
Welcome to HUGO Matters
The Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) is pleased to introduce our new blog, HUGO Matters. This blog will serve as a dynamic, interactive location for HUGO announcements and discussions on topics most relevant to human genetics and genomics in the 21st century. Contributors to the blog will include HUGO President Professor Edison T Liu, HUGO Council and Committee members, fellow HUGO members, as well as genetic and genomic scientists/researchers from around the world. HUGO Matters is edited by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei.
We welcome your comments and suggestions!
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