About us
Learn how GA4GH helps expand responsible genomic data use to benefit human health.
Learn how GA4GH helps expand responsible genomic data use to benefit human health.
Our Strategic Road Map defines strategies, standards, and policy frameworks to support responsible global use of genomic and related health data.
Discover how a meeting of 50 leaders in genomics and medicine led to an alliance uniting more than 5,000 individuals and organisations to benefit human health.
GA4GH Inc. is a not-for-profit organisation that supports the global GA4GH community.
The GA4GH Council, consisting of the Executive Committee, Strategic Leadership Committee, and Product Steering Committee, guides our collaborative, globe-spanning alliance.
The Funders Forum brings together organisations that offer both financial support and strategic guidance.
The EDI Advisory Group responds to issues raised in the GA4GH community, finding equitable, inclusive ways to build products that benefit diverse groups.
Distributed across a number of Host Institutions, our staff team supports the mission and operations of GA4GH.
Curious who we are? Meet the people and organisations across six continents who make up GA4GH.
More than 500 organisations connected to genomics — in healthcare, research, patient advocacy, industry, and beyond — have signed onto the mission and vision of GA4GH as Organisational Members.
These core Organisational Members are genomic data initiatives that have committed resources to guide GA4GH work and pilot our products.
This subset of Organisational Members whose networks or infrastructure align with GA4GH priorities has made a long-term commitment to engaging with our community.
Local and national organisations assign experts to spend at least 30% of their time building GA4GH products.
Anyone working in genomics and related fields is invited to participate in our inclusive community by creating and using new products.
Wondering what GA4GH does? Learn how we find and overcome challenges to expanding responsible genomic data use for the benefit of human health.
Study Groups define needs. Participants survey the landscape of the genomics and health community and determine whether GA4GH can help.
Work Streams create products. Community members join together to develop technical standards, policy frameworks, and policy tools that overcome hurdles to international genomic data use.
GIF solves problems. Organisations in the forum pilot GA4GH products in real-world situations. Along the way, they troubleshoot products, suggest updates, and flag additional needs.
NIF finds challenges and opportunities in genomics at a global scale. National programmes meet to share best practices, avoid incompatabilities, and help translate genomics into benefits for human health.
Communities of Interest find challenges and opportunities in areas such as rare disease, cancer, and infectious disease. Participants pinpoint real-world problems that would benefit from broad data use.
Find out what’s happening with up to the minute meeting schedules for the GA4GH community.
See all our products — always free and open-source. Do you work on cloud genomics, data discovery, user access, data security or regulatory policy and ethics? Need to represent genomic, phenotypic, or clinical data? We’ve got a solution for you.
All GA4GH standards, frameworks, and tools follow the Product Development and Approval Process before being officially adopted.
Learn how other organisations have implemented GA4GH products to solve real-world problems.
Help us transform the future of genomic data use! See how GA4GH can benefit you — whether you’re using our products, writing our standards, subscribing to a newsletter, or more.
Help create new global standards and frameworks for responsible genomic data use.
Align your organisation with the GA4GH mission and vision.
Want to advance both your career and responsible genomic data sharing at the same time? See our open leadership opportunities.
Join our international team and help us advance genomic data use for the benefit of human health.
Share your thoughts on all GA4GH products currently open for public comment.
Solve real problems by aligning your organisation with the world’s genomics standards. We offer software dvelopers both customisable and out-of-the-box solutions to help you get started.
Learn more about upcoming GA4GH events. See reports and recordings from our past events.
Speak directly to the global genomics and health community while supporting GA4GH strategy.
Be the first to hear about the latest GA4GH products, upcoming meetings, new initiatives, and more.
Questions? We would love to hear from you.
Read news, stories, and insights from the forefront of genomic and clinical data use.
Attend an upcoming GA4GH event, or view meeting reports from past events.
See new projects, updates, and calls for support from the Work Streams.
Read academic papers coauthored by GA4GH contributors.
Listen to our podcast OmicsXchange, featuring discussions from leaders in the world of genomics, health, and data sharing.
Check out our videos, then subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content.
View the latest GA4GH updates, Genomics and Health News, Implementation Notes, GDPR Briefs, and more.
Discover all things GA4GH: explore our news, events, videos, podcasts, announcements, publications, and newsletters.
15 Sep 2023
Proactively supporting an engaged, welcoming, and safe community, the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) has released a Code of Ethics and Community Conduct.
The new code will debut at the GA4GH 11th Plenary meeting and associated events, such as GA4GH Connect and the National Initiatives Forum Meeting. From today, it applies to all activities involving GA4GH contributors.
“The new Code of Ethics and Community Conduct is grounded in the ethos of GA4GH: community-led and consensus-driven. We take collaboration seriously, and are providing this code to better support collaborations across disciplines and the world,” said Peter Goodhand, CEO of GA4GH.
After making a draft of the new code open for public comment, GA4GH staff collaborated with external consultant Paula Brantner of Accountability Ignited, formerly PB Work Solutions, to finalise the document.
The code takes inspiration from the W3C Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. A key aim is to ensure GA4GH contributors promote the mission of GA4GH and maintain a professional and respectful environment.
Contributors who choose to join GA4GH encounter differences in language, geography, culture, nationality, and experience. The new code offers a tool for supporting clear communication in such a diverse environment, and resolving misunderstandings and disagreements that do arise and cannot be addressed informally.
Seeking to provide transparency and clarity for all community members, the code outlines the values of GA4GH, expected behaviours, prohibited behaviours, and a new reporting process.
Any GA4GH participant, such as a Work Stream contributor or event attendee, may report a harmful behaviour or potential violation of the code via the reporting form or to the external Safe GA4GH Officer, Paula Brantner of Accountability Ignited. The reporting party’s identity will be kept confidential if they so wish.
They may also contact the Safe GA4GH Committee, a group of staff and contributors who have volunteered to investigate reports following the process outlined in the code. The committee consists of Justina Chung (GA4GH Operations Lead), Karen Cranston (University Health Network, GA4GH Driver Project Champion for CanDIG), Susan Fairley (GA4GH Chief Standards Officer), Connor Graham (GA4GH Communications Specialist), Angela Page (GA4GH Director of Strategy and Engagement), Jimmy Payyappilly (GA4GH Technical Lead), Heidi Rehm (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, GA4GH Vice-Chair), and Rosalyn Ryan (Healthful US Inc., GA4GH Contributor).
The new code replaces the previous GA4GH Standards for Professional Conduct (sometimes referred to as the Code of Conduct). Improvements include transparent processes for ensuring accountability and the Safe GA4GH Officer as a resource to the community.
By reinforcing the GA4GH community identity and establishing a culture of care, the code works to ensure an environment where people can participate and collaborate without fear of harassment or discrimination.
“We have always worked to build a safe, welcoming environment for our contributors, who make GA4GH possible. The Code of Ethics and Community Conduct takes concrete and proactive steps to ensure GA4GH contributors can expect professionalism and respect,” said Goodhand.