American Society of Human Genetics

What American Society of Human Genetics does

The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) is a nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1948 and headquartered at 6120 Executive Boulevard, Suite 500, Rockville, MD. It serves as the primary professional society for human genetics specialists worldwide, representing nearly 8,000 members — including researchers, academicians, clinical geneticists, genetic counselors, laboratory practice professionals, educators, and trainees — across 97 countries. ASHG's mission centers on advancing the science of human genetics and genomics through scientific exchange, education, advocacy for research funding, and promotion of responsible social and scientific policies.

ASHG's product portfolio is organized around four core assets: (1) the ASHG Annual Meeting, a flagship in-person conference that in 2025 drew over 8,000 attendees to Boston and is scheduled for Montréal in October 2026; (2) two peer-reviewed journals — The American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG) and Human Genetics and Genomics Advances (HGG Advances); (3) the ASHG Learning Center, a virtual education platform hosting webinars, workshops, and AI-themed virtual symposia with CME/CEU credits; and (4) ancillary programs including the DNA Day Essay Contest, the Human Genetics Scholars Initiative (HGSI) sponsored by Merck, the Career Center, and the Advocacy Center. ASHG does not develop proprietary technology products; its underlying "platform" is a community-and-content stack anchored by the annual meeting and journals. Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of membership dues, tiered annual meeting registration, journal subscriptions, educational program fees, and tax-deductible donations including a new monthly recurring donation option starting at $10. Corporate partnerships (Merck for HGSI; Biogen for industry-perspective programming) provide additional programmatic underwriting. Pricing is tiered by career stage with significant discounts for trainees (e.g., $620 vs. $1,055 for in-person 2026 meeting registration) and member status (e.g., $55-$95 vs. $120 for virtual symposium access).

Name

American Society of Human Genetics

Legal name

American Society of Human Genetics, Incorporated

Website

https://ashg.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Founded 1948, the American Society of Human Genetics is a nonprofit professional membership organization serving roughly 8,000 human genetics researchers, clinicians, genetic counselors, and trainees across 97 countries through its Annual Meeting, two peer-reviewed journals, and the Learning Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scientific Society

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHALAL

ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Research, Analytics & Expert Services

SECONDARYHLAJANAA

Program Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Health Program Evaluation & Surveillance

Keywords

• Human genetics research
• Professional membership organization
• Scientific conferences
• Peer-reviewed journals
• Genomics education

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to conferences, journals, career resources, networking, and member benefits.
2. Annual Meeting Registration: Registration fees for the ASHG Annual Meeting, with tiered pricing for members, trainees, and non-members. Boston 2025 and upcoming Montréal 2026 events.
3. Publications and Digital Content: Revenue from publishing AJHG and HGG Advances journals, plus digital programs including webinars, workshops, and virtual symposium recordings available in the shop.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations supporting research, education, and advocacy in human genetics and genomics.
5. Educational Programs: Fees for webinars, workshops, career development programs, and the Learning Center offerings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) is a nonprofit professional membership organization that advances the field of human genetics and genomics through paid membership, an annual scientific conference, peer-reviewed journals (AJHG and HGG Advances), virtual educational programs (webinars, workshops, symposia), career resources, science advocacy, and K-12 public education programs.

Product overview

The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) operates as a professional membership organization offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services centered on advancing human genetics and genomics research. The core offerings include the ASHG Annual Meeting (an in-person conference), the ASHG Learning Center (a virtual education platform), two peer-reviewed journals (AJHG and HGG Advances), and educational programs like the DNA Day Essay Contest and Human Genetics Scholars Initiative. The ASHG Learning Center hosts webinars, workshops, and AI-focused virtual symposiums, while the Career Center and Advocacy Center provide career development and science policy resources. Additional programs include Needs-Based Travel Awards, Trainee Research Excellence Awards, and the Genetics Engagement & Education Network. All offerings serve researchers, clinicians, genetic counselors, and educators in the human genetics field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG): Premier peer-reviewed journal publishing impactful science in human genetics.
• Human Genetics and Genomics Advances (HGG Advances)
• Genetics Engagement & Education Network
• DNA Day Essay Contest

Products and services

• ASHG Annual Meeting ASHG's flagship annual conference bringing together human genetics and genomics professionals worldwide for scientific exchange, networking, and career advancement. Attendees register and pay tiered fees based on membership status and career stage.
• ASHG Learning Center

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,200 essays submitted from 45 U.S. states/territories and 59 countries in the 2025 DNA Day Essay Contest
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Merck & Co., Inc.coreOthersSponsor and partner for the Human Genetics Scholars Initiative (HGSI), an intensive two-year professional development program supporting early-career scientists. Merck's support enables ASHG to provide complimentary membership, meeting registration, travel, hotel accommodation, mentorship, and enrichment funds to HGSI scholars.
• BiogenminorOthersPartner company participating in ASHG webinar 'Perspectives from ASHG Members Working in Industry,' providing industry perspectives on careers in genetics and genomics.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics: A professional society for clinical genetics and genomics specialists with similar membership, annual meetings, practice guidelines, and certification programs—addressing ASHG's clinical-geneticist segment.
• American Association for Cancer Research: A major cancer-research society with a comparable portfolio: high-profile journals, a flagship annual meeting (AACR Annual Meeting), advocacy, and educational programs. Highly analogous society structure to ASHG.
• American Society for Microbiology: A large life-sciences society running journals (mBio, JCM), the ASM Microbe annual meeting, and advocacy programs. Same multi-stakeholder society model that ASHG uses in human genetics.
• European Society of Human Genetics: The European counterpart to ASHG, with comparable mission in human genetics, an annual conference (ESHG Congress), and a journal (European Journal of Human Genetics). Direct international peer with overlapping scientific and clinical audiences.
• Society for Neuroscience: A large scientific society hosting a major annual meeting (Neuroscience 2024 with ~25,000 attendees), publishing The Journal of Neuroscience, and running advocacy and trainee programs—an established benchmark for ASHG's scale ambitions.
• Genetics Society of America: A scientific society serving geneticists, with comparable membership, conferences, and journal models (GENETICS, G3). Although GSA focuses more on model organisms, its society structure, advocacy footprint, and career-development programs directly parallel ASHG.
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: A large life-sciences professional society operating journals (JBC, MCP), an annual meeting, advocacy, and education programs—closely matching ASHG's multi-product society model.

Broad incumbents

• National Academy of Sciences: A congressionally chartered scientific organization with overlapping membership of leading U.S. scientists, publications (PNAS), and policy influence—broader in scope but operates the same scientific-society framework.
• American Medical Association: A much larger professional medical association with comparable membership, journals (JAMA), advocacy, and educational offerings. While broader than ASHG's genetics focus, it operates the same professional-society business model at greater scale.
• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology: An umbrella organization representing multiple life-sciences societies in advocacy and policy. ASHG participates in FASEB; FASEB represents a broader, multi-society advocacy platform than ASHG alone.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GeneticsSociety
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HumanGeneticsSociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/ASHG-American-Society-of-Human-Gen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-society-of-human-genetics
• Instagraminstagram.com/geneticssociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Society of Human Genetics