Speaker Profile
PMWC PIONEER AWARD
Helped launch genomic medicine through the Human Genome Project and Broad Institute
Ph.D., Fouding Director and Core Institute Member, Broad Inst.
Biography
Eric S. Lander is one of the defining leaders of modern genomics. A mathematician, geneticist, and molecular biologist, he was a leader of the international Human Genome Project and head of its largest sequencing center, and helped build the genomic foundation on which variant interpretation, rare disease diagnosis, and genomic medicine now rest.
As founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Dr. Lander created one of the world's most influential engines for biomedical discovery, uniting genomics, computation, biology, and medicine at scale. His work established methods for mapping the genetic basis of human disease and interpreting human genetic variation, the scientific groundwork that makes today's clinical genomic diagnosis possible.
Dr. Lander has served the public as co-chair of President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and as Science Advisor to President Biden. His honors include the MacArthur Fellowship, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, and the Gairdner Award.
PMWC is honored to recognize Dr. Lander with the 2027 Pioneer Award for his foundational role in transforming genomics from a scientific moonshot into the platform that now drives precision diagnosis and care.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2027 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Wendy Chung, Boston Children's / Harvard
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Wendy Chung, Boston Children's / Harvard (Pioneer)
• Eric Lander, Broad Institute (Pioneer)
Featured Speakers
• Wendy Chung, Boston Children's / Harvard
• Eric Lander, Broad Institute
• Zhanzhi (Mike) Hu, Project GUARDIAN / Columbia
• Tippi MacKenzie, UCSF
• Ryan Taft, Genetic Alliance
• Heidi Cope, RTI International
• Michele Caggana, NY State DOH Wadsworth Center
• Elad Ziv, UCSF
• Scott Grosse, University of Minnesota
• Mike Talkowski, Mass General / Harvard
• F. Sessions Cole, WashU
• Lee Hood, Phenome Health / ISB
• Trey Ideker, UC San Diego
• Ralph Snyderman, Duke
• Craig Mundie, Mundie & Associates
• George Church, Harvard
Beyond the Exome: Solving Undiagnosed Disease
The next layer of rare-disease diagnosis beyond standard sequencing.
Population Genomic Screening
From newborn sequencing to implementation, evidence, economics, and equity.
Structural Variants & Long Reads
Solving cases missed by conventional sequencing.
Launching the Human Phenome Initiative
From genome to phenome as a global health infrastructure challenge.
Data-Driven Health
AI, longitudinal data, and personalized clinical medicine.
Engineering the Future of Health
Genomes, cells, and engineering biology as precision medicine moves upstream.
PMWC Hall of Impact
Previous Speakers Include
Nobel laureates, technology founders, regulators, CEOs and scientific pioneers who have taken the PMWC stage.
