Materials from the 2023 FaceBase Community Forum are now available to the public!

As we look back to the 2023 FaceBase Community Forum that took place on June 13th in sunny Los Angeles, we’re reminded of the strides we took that day. This year’s gathering brought together the worlds of clinical/pre-clinical research, data science, and foundational research. It was an eye-opener for many, as they ventured beyond their specialties, drawing parallels, and recognizing the interconnectedness of the vast DOC research landscape.

For those who couldn’t join us, we’ve published a selection of materials from the forum that are now available to the public.

Guide to Slides, Webcasts and Posters - FaceBase 2023 Community Forum (Public Edition): Access the Google Doc (Please note, this contains only the materials approved for public viewing.)

Bios of Presenters and Moderators: Access the PDF

We wanted to give a special thank you to this year’s distinguished guest speakers: Rena D’Souza (Director of NIH/NIDCR), Olivier Duverger (NIH/NIDCR), Mary L. Marazita (Univ of Pittsburgh), Jin Xiao (Univ of Rochester), Abimbola Oladayo (Univ of Iowa), Jay Patel (Temple Univ), Harrison Brand (Harvard), Ross Whitaker (Univ of Utah), Gage Crump (USC), Hong Li (Univ of Colorado), Crystal Rogers (UCSF), Noffisat Oki (NIH/NIDCR) and Alicia Chou (NIH/NIDCR).

Our outstanding moderators kept the meeting running smoothly and provided context for our different speaker sessions - thanks also go out to: Pedro Sanchez (Cedars-Sinai), Emile Vieta-Ferrer (UCLA), Joe Hacia (USC), Jifan Feng (USC), Jimmy Hu (UCLA) and Stacy Nguyen (Boston College).

The foundation for the success of this Forum was laid by our esteemed Program Committee: Azeez Butali (Univ of Iowa), Rucha Arun Bapat (USC), Harrison Brand (Harvard), Joseph Hacia (USC), Erica Hutchins (UCSF), Stacy Nguyen (Boston College), Pedro Sanchez (Cedars-Sinai), Susan Walsh (Indiana Univ Indianapolis), and Katy Weisensee (Clemson). Their efforts, coupled with the invaluable direction from our NIH/NIDCR program staff, helped make this forum a landmark in DOC research dialogues!

We’re already laying down the groundwork for our next forum and ready to carry forward the energy and inspiration from this summer. Look out for our save the date for 2024!

Here are some photos from the event:

First column: Jin Xing, Gage Crump, Noffisat Oki. Second column: Carl Kesselman with Rob Schuler and Ross Whitaker. Third column: Harrison Brand, Crystal Rogers and Alicia Chou.

From top left, clockwise: Attendees; Group shot of Jin Xiao, Azeez Butali, Pedro Sanchez and Harrison Brand; Panel moderated by Yang Chai and Rob Schuler; Rucha Bapat at the poster session.

FaceBase Hub and NIDCR Program Staff (front row from left to right): Noffisat Oki, Alicia Chou, Linda Hattemer, Laura Pearlman, Lu Wang, Cris Williams, Carl Kesselman, VyVy Nguyen, Jifan Feng and Thach-Vu Ho. (back row, from left to right): Joe Hacia, Rob Schuler, Yang Chai and Alejandro Bugacov.