The Evolutionary Medicine Summer Institute (EMSI) brings together internationally recognized experts in evolutionary biology with trainees, other faculty, and health practitioners who want to apply these perspectives to cancer, infectious disease, evolution of microbial resistance, neurology, autoimmune disease, the microbiome, and more.
EMSI is organized by TriCEM, in collaboration with 11 other evolutionary medicine center programs, centers, and the International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health (see below).
Aims
We aim to: introduce core evolutionary perspectives to a wide range of topics in human and animal health and disease; train scientists in computational methods used in evolutionary and ecological research; and foster new collaborations across the evolutionary sciences, human and veterinary medicine, and public health.
To achieve these aims, we couple hands-on active learning with networking and collaborative projects, with activities led by experts in evolutionary medicine. EMSI also features lectures and exercises designed to instill an understanding of core concepts, along with introductions to evolutionary analysis tools. Examples include phylogenetics, molecular evolution, and evolutionary epidemiology, with the specific topics tailored to the topical focus of EMSI for that year. We also cover field methods, as appropriate for the topic.
History & Future Plans
We have held 9 EMSIs. Starting in 2025, the workshop focuses on a different topical area in evolutionary medicine, and aims for research outcomes developed through collaboration at the workshop.
2024: Introduction to Evolutionary Medicine.
Introduction to phylogenetics, evolutionary genetics, the microbiome, ecology and evolution of infectious disease, and core concepts in evolutionary medicine.
2025: Overcoming Resistance: Harnessing Evolution to Control Cancer, Infectious Diseases, and Pests.
Outcomes: synthetic review paper (in preparation), and two Evolution, Medicine and Public Health “Clinical Briefs” (Chen et al. 2026, and another in review).
2026: Climate Change and Health.
Planned outcomes: A structured toolkit to investigate climate change and health in any population, with an initial focus on rural, agricultural populations globally. Teams will apply the toolkit in actual populations and publish findings, and as a group, we will publish the resulting protocols in a multi-authored paper.
2027 and beyond
We are working with our partner organizations below to plan future EMSIs. We may hold a repeat of the 2025 workshop in Europe. We are also considering workshops on Precision Medicine, Teen Mental Health, and the Obstetrical Dilemma.
