It’s February, which means the largest family discovery conference of the year is almost upon us. This year, 23andMe will be returning to Salt 
Lake City, Utah for RootsTech 2019. The visit offers us a chance to showcase some of the new improvements to our ancestry service, as well as highlight 23andMe’s privacy protections, and the science around the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and their impact on risks for certain types of cancer
The event will host keynote speakers daily and hundreds of classes centered on discovering family connections through the latest technology, DNA, people, and sources. 23andMe will be hosting several speaking sessions on topics ranging from genetic data privacy, an introduction to our BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) report, to a deep dive on our Ancestry Composition report.
We’ll be joining 15,000 in-person attendees from all over the world, thousands of online viewers, and 300 vendors in the Expo Hall to celebrate family discovery, consumer empowerment and genetics. Come see us at Booth 1105 to speak with 23andMe product experts, purchase 23andMe kits, check out our new Ancestry book, or to just hang out!
For those who can’t make it to the conference, our session at 1:30pm MT on Saturday, March 2, “Leading with Science at 23andMe” presented by Sarah Laskey, Health R&D Scientist, will be livestreamed here. During this session, Sarah will walk through how research works at 23andMe and how you can contribute to scientific discoveries.
Hope to see the rest of you in Salt Lake City.
23andMe Agenda
Wednesday, February 27
Time: 3:00pm
Room: 355 F
Title: Do You Speak BRCA?
Speaker: Ruth Tennen
Description: BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes that can impact a person’s chances of developing certain cancers, including breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer. In this session, we’ll discuss the science behind these genes, how they’re passed down through families, and 23andMe’s Personal Genetic Service.
Thursday, February 28
Time: 4:30pm
Room: 355 C
Title: Protecting Your Privacy at 23andMe
Speaker: Adriana Beach
Description: 23andMe gives you control over your genetic information. We want you to decide how your information is used and with whom it is shared, and we take great care to design our product with privacy in mind. In this session, we’ll discuss how you can control your information and how we protect your privacy.
Friday, March 1
Details: (3) 15-min talks followed by 15-min Q&A
Time: 8am
Room: Ballroom G
Title: Power Hour on New Reports and Updates from 23andMe!
Speakers: Hilary Vance, Alison Kung, and Danielle Hayes
Description: Discover what you can learn about your health through 23andMe. 
Saturday, March 2
Time: 11am (3-5 mins presentation time)
Room: Main stage
Speaker(s): Shirley Wu
Description: At 23andMe, we believe that DNA can change lives. Our mission is to help people access, understand, and benefit from the human genome. One way we tackle this mission is by providing information on health risks, health risks that could affect your family, and wellness information directly to consumers. During this session, 23andMe’s Director of Health Product Shirley Wu will discuss how genetics can impact one’s health, and how consumer participation in research has fueled hundreds of genetic discoveries.
Time: 12pm (45 mins, followed by Q&A)
Room: Lunch 2
Title: 23 Reasons to Connect with Friends and Relatives at 23andMe
Speaker: Samantha Esselmann
Description: From learning more about what ancestry your inherited from your parents, to comparing your Neanderthal-ness with friends, 23andMe offers a variety of ways for customers to connect, share, and compare their results. In this lunch session we’ll explore the various reports and tools 23andMe offers and show examples of how they can be used to to answer a variety of questions.
Time: 1:30pm (45-50 min preso followed by 10-15 min Q+A)
Room: Ballroom G
Title: Leading with Science at 23andMe
Speak: Sarah Laskey
Description: 23andMe customers who participate in research are helping to advance scientific knowledge in revolutionary new ways. Each discovery helps pave the way for advances in medicine. Since 2010, 23andMe has published over 110 papers in peer reviewed journals. In this session, we’ll walk through how research works at 23andMe and how you can contribute to scientific discoveries.
Family Discovery Day
Details: This is a day when portions of the conference will be free to the public, and families with children aged 8 and older are welcome to join. There will be a special Family Discovery Day (FDD) general session, specific class sessions geared towards children and families, and fun activities in the Expo Hall and around the convention center.
Type of activity: Craft and build your own DNA souvenir to take home!
