The Global Initiative for Neuropsychiatric Genetics Education in Research (GINGER) boosts capacity for the study of mental disorders around the world.
Learn MoreThere's a strong, ongoing “legacy of exclusion” in scientific research, leaving parts of the world still sorely underrepresented across fields. Psychiatric genetics is no exception.
Here's the problem: diverse genetic data is a key to finding out what causes psychiatric conditions - from schizophrenia to autism spectrum disorders. When we don’t champion researchers from underrepresented regions - and overlook data from their communities - we miss out on a great deal of promising biology.
That's why GINGER's collaborative approach is so important. We equip early-career researchers with the skills they need to run large-scale psychiatric genetic studies and develop mental health research in their own communities. Through our programs, GINGER researchers become vital and equal contributors to knowledge.
Collaboration is one of the important aspects of GINGER, especially amongst the Fellows. Through GINGER, I have friends and colleagues around the world - in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and the US.
The vast majority of genetics research is still being created by scientists centered in the US, UK and EU. But GINGER is empowering an entirely new group of scientists to help diversify data and reduce the heavy burden of mental health issues around the globe.
Here's how we do it:
Our four-year Research Fellow training program includes in-person workshops, networking, virtual classrooms, professional development, individual career mentoring and hands-on collaborative projects. Fellows work with us to develop the skills and tools needed to stretch our understanding of genetic diversity.
As a sub-component of GINGER, the Teaching Fellows program was developed to give US based PhD and post-doctoral students the opportunity to develop curriculum and gain hands-on teaching experience.
We run collaborative, short research courses with partner institutions in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Mexico - based on their particular needs. These courses introduce neuropsychiatric genetics concepts and fundamental research skills to potential researchers.
