February 19, 2026 | Athens

FirstSteps, a project run by Beginnings – Newborn Sequencing Initiative, will host an international conference titled Newborn genomic screening (gNBS): A public health necessity in the 21st century on February 19, 2026, at the Hellenic American Union.

Brief description

A future where genomic sequencing (gNBS) is seamlessly integrated into newborn care, providing families and healthcare professionals with the necessary tools to make informed decisions about a child’s health, is not a distant reality. gNBS integrated into public health could become a foundation for lifelong personalized medicine.

The conference focuses on public health ethics, data governance, handling of personal data, data storage, and data utilization for innovation and drug development. The conference is organized by FirstSteps, the genomic screening initiative of Greece.

Organizing Committee

Chairman: Metropolitan Konstantinos

Aristeidis Antsaklis
Georgios Antonakis
Ioannis Georgiou
Alexandros Daponte
Georgios Daskalakis
Theoklis Zaoutis
Bartha Maria Knoppers
Georgios Makrydimas
Andreas Pampanos
Dimitrios Thanos
Petros Tsipouras
Tasos Xefteris

Program Highlights

Session I – Precision Medicine

Building Greece’s genomic future, from newborn screening to precision medicine for all, followed by a panel on newborn genomic screening as a gateway to lifelong precision medicine.

Session II – Data Governance

Ethical principles for public health screening and emerging EU data governance, followed by a panel discussion on data governance frameworks.

Invited presentations include:

Silvia Salardi – Ethical principles for public health screening
Fruzsina Molnar-Gabor – Emerging EU data governance

Session III – Innovation

Breaking borders in biomedical research through data federation, followed by a panel on how innovation can drive population screening programs.

Session IV – Ethics and Public Health Screening Programs

Genomic sequencing in newborn screening: what it is and what it is not; demographic changes in Greece; and a concluding panel on ethics and public health screening.