MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit
Overview |
Program |
Speakers |
Registration |
Venue & Travel |
Contact Us |
Welcome to the Genomics and Mental Health Research Day 2026, hosted by the MRC Cognition and Brain Science Unit and the NHS Genomics and Mental Health Network of Excellence. This one-day conference brings together practitioners, researchers, and lived experience representatives to showcase current and future directions in post-diagnostic mental health research involving rare genetic communities. The aims of this meeting are to foster family-clinician-researcher interactions, and to share research questions, approaches, progress and ideas.
Key Information
Registration Opens |
Registration Closes |
Conference Date |
Venue Location |
|
14th April, 2026 |
27th May, 2026 |
12th June, 2026 |
Newnham College, Cambridge |
Program
The focus of the day will be “Rare Neurodevelopmental Conditions – meeting the post-diagnostic challenges”. Over the course of the day, there will be a variety of sessions including keynotes, short talks, and discussions from practitioners, researchers and lived experience representatives. While the full line-up of speakers is still being finalised, this preliminary schedule details the event structure and what to expect for each session. More information to follow!
Main Schedule
| Time | Activity | Focus |
| 9:30 – 10:00 am | Coffee & Welcome | |
| 10:00 – 11:30 am | Session 1 | What are the post-diagnostic challenges? |
| 11:30 – 11:45 am | Coffee/Tea Break | |
| 11:45 – 1:00 pm | Session 2 | How can we better understand these challenges? |
| 1:00 – 2:00 pm | Lunch Break | |
| 2:00 – 3:30 pm | Session 3 | How can we better meet these challenges? |
| 3:30 – 4:00 pm | Coffee/Tea Break | |
| 4:00 – 5:00 pm | Structured Discussion | What are the priorities and what shall we do next? |
| 5:00 – 6:00 pm | Drinks Reception |
Featured Speakers
| Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3 |
|
Lived Experience Speaker: Leeann Stevenson, SMS Foundation |
Lived Experience Speaker: Laura Hattersley, CASK Research Foundation | Lived Experience Speaker: Sophie Muir, Timothy Syndrome Alliance |
| Voluntary Sector Speaker: Francesca Wicks, Unique | Keynote: Professor Armin Raznahan, University of Oxford/National Institute of Mental Health | Voluntary Sector Speaker: RareMinds |
| Keynote: Professor Caroline Richards, University of Birmingham | Short Talk 1: Carly Hood, University of Cambridge | Keynote: TBC |
| Short Talk 1: Dr Jessica Martin, University College London | Short Talk 2: TBC | Short Talk 1: Dr Jeanne Wolstencroft, University College London |
| Short Talk 2: Dr Karen Low, University of Bristol | Short Talk 3: Dr Jacqueline Nonweiler, Kings College London | Short Talk 2: Dr Amy McTague, University College London |
| Short Talk 3: Dr Thomas Wright, University of Manchester | – | Short Talk 3: Dr Andrew Stanfield, University of Edinburgh |
Registration
To register for this event, please use the link below. You will be asked to login or register for a new account, then fill out a short questionnaire.
Genomics and Mental Health Research Day, 12 June 2026 – Registration
Registration fees are £30 for general admission, and £10 for students or charity representatives. Prices include refreshments, lunch, and entry to all sessions within the conference.
Travel Reimbursements
We have a limited budget to offer travel reimbursements of up to £100 to support attendees who would otherwise be unable to attend the conference.
If you would like to be considered for this, please indicate your interest by ticking ‘Yes’ to the travel reimbursement question during registration. Successful attendees will be contacted prior to the conference with further details.
Venue & Travel
GMH2026 will be held in the Jane Harrison Room, located in Peile Hall at Newnham College, Cambridge, UK.
Location of Newnham College
Location of Peile Hall
Venue Information/Accessibility
The venue location (Jane Harrison Room) is located on the main ground floor corridor of Peile Hall. Peile Hall can be accessed step-free from the west-side car park, or via ramp from the courtyard or Kennedy Building. The Jane Harrison Room also has step free access from the corridor, which is sufficiently wide enough (150cm+) for a wheelchair user to pass through.
For more accessibility information, please click here.
Arriving By Bike
Cycling is a very popular form of transport in Cambridge, and most of the city is connected via a network of cycle routes. For detailed cycle maps, please click here.
For bike storage at Newnham, there is a bike shed located parallel to the Rosalind Franklin Building, in between Newnham Walk and Sidgwick Avenue. There are also cycle stands in the Clough and Peile car parks.
Arriving By Bus
There is no bus stop directly on the campus. If you are travelling from central Cambridge to Newnham by bus, the most convenient service is the 199. In the city centre, you can board this service at Cambridge (opp. Bene’t Street), Cambridge (outside Corpus Christi College), or Cambridge (opposite Queens’ College). The nearest stop to Newnham College is Newnham (Pinehurst). From here, the venue is approximately a 2 minute walk. For a timetable for this service, see bustimes.org.
The main city bus station (Drummer Street) is approximately a 1.5km/20 minute walk from the campus. Click here for the Cambridge City Centre Bus Station Access Guide.
Arriving By Train
The nearest railway station is Cambridge, and is approximately a 2.5km/30 minute walk from the campus. The station has direct links to London (Kings Cross and Liverpool Street), Cambridge North, Kings Lynn, Stansted Airport, Brighton, Ipswich, and Norwich.
For more information about Cambridge Station, click here, and for the Cambridge Station Access Guide, click here.
Arriving By Coach
There is a frequent National Express coach service that runs from Heathrow/Stansted Airport, London, or Luton to Cambridge. These include the 727/728 from Heathrow/Stansted Airport to Cambridge (Trumpington (P&R) and Parkside (City Centre)), the 491 from London Victoria Coach Station to Cambridge Parkside (City Centre), and the 786 from Luton Airport to Cambridge (Trumpington (P&R) and Parkside (City Centre)).
For more information, click here.
Arriving By Car
Newnham College is located South-West of the city centre, on Sidgwick Avenue, and can be accessed from the A603 (if arriving from west Cambridge, approximately 2 miles from junction 12 on the M11), or the Fen Causeway (if arriving from south Cambridge).
There are also several Park and Ride options, for those who do not wish to drive through the city centre. For more information, click here.
Car Parking
Car parking at Newnham is limited and therefore reserved for attendees with accessibility requirements. If you would like to request a car parking space for the event, please indicate your interest by ticking ‘Yes’ to the parking question during registration. You will then be contacted directly to finalise the parking request.
For more transport information issued by Newnham College, please click here.
Staying in Cambridge
Cambridge offers a wide variety of accommodation options to suit all budgets, including apartments, B&B’s & Guesthouses, hotels, and college accommodation.
For more information about things to do in Cambridge, please click here.
Contact Us
Please don’t hesitate to contact Alice (Alice.Cox@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk) or Kate (Kate.Baker@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk) if you have any questions or concerns about the event.
