Seattle Glyphosate Symposium

The Seattle Glyphosate Symposium

The Seattle Glyphosate Symposium will take place in Seattle, Washington, at the University of Washington campus, Hans Rosling Center for Population Health, on March 25th-26th.

 

Event summary

Join an international group of leading experts ranging from exposure scientists, epidemiologists, toxicologists, physician scientists, public communicators, lawyers, and journalists who have studied glyphosate and other pesticides, to review the state of the science since 2016 and to provide valuable perspective on the management of pesticides in the U.S. and globally using a public health lens.

A large portion of the symposium will cover health impacts, ranging from cancer and genotoxicity, reproductive health and neurotoxic effects, microbiome disruption, and metabolic and hepatic effects. The symposium will also cover the broader context of glyphosate and pesticides in general, addressing both the current regulatory environment and the larger public health context. These include:

  • The toxicity of glyphosate relative to other pesticides on the market
  • How dietary exposure has evolved over time with changes in glyphosate usage
  • Changes in formulations of Roundup products
  • How pesticide labels affect pesticide usage behaviors 

Attendees will also have the opportunity to share their own research and insights during the poster session March 25. 

Symposium impact

Building off the scientific 2016 consensus statement: Concerns over use of glyphosate-based herbicides and their risks, our intended outcomes from after the 2-day event include an expert statement to be released on March 27 in conjunction with a media event, followed by the publication in the peer-reviewed scientific literature of a paper summarizing the symposium's findings. 

Agenda

Date/Time  

Topic 

March 25 

 

7:30-8:30 am 

Registration, continental breakfast and check-in 

8:30-9:00

Welcome, Purpose, Goals, and Organization

9:00-10:00 

Does Glyphosate and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Increase Cancer? Insights From and Contrasts Across Assessments and Legal Decisions

10:20-10:40 

Break

10:40-12:00 

Overview and Exposure Assessment for Epidemiology 

12:00-1:00 

Lunch 

1:00-2:15 

Epidemiological and Toxicological Evidence Informing Assessment of Glyphosate and Glyphosate-Based Herbicide Carcinogenicity

2:15-2:30 

Break 

2:30-4:00 

New Science and Evidence Integration Informing Assessment of Glyphosate and Glyphosate-Based Herbicide Carcinogenicity  

4:00-6:00 

Poster Session 

 
 

March 26 

 

7:30-8:30 

Continental breakfast 

8:30-8:45 

Welcome and Recap 

8:45-9:45 

New Science from Mechanistic and Toxicological Studies of Non-Cancer Outcomes

9:45-10:00 

Break 

10:00-11:00 

New Science from Epidemiological Studies of Non-Cancer Outcomes 

11:00-12:15 

The Back Story: Civil Tort Litigation, Unethical Industry Practices, and Corporate Capture of the Regulatory Environment 

12:15-1:15 

Lunch 

1:15-2:15 

Glyphosate Registration: Current Regulatory Challenges, and Future Opportunities and Pitfalls 

2:15-2:30 

Break 

2:30-4:00 

Glyphosate in the Public Eye: Minimizing Exposure, Communicating Risk and a Vision for the Future

4:00-5:00 

Wrap-up and Next Steps  

Funding

The symposium is funded by the Rohm & Haas Endowed Professorship in Public Health Sciences at the University of Washington School of Public Health. 

Lead Organizer 

Lianne Sheppard, PhD
Rohm & Haas Endowed Professor in Public Health Sciences
Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
Professor, Department of Biostatistics

Local Organizing Committee

Anne Riederer, MS, MSFS, ScD
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

Cecilia Martindale, MS

PhD Student, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

Eddie Kasner, PhD, MPH, CSP

Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

Lisa Van Cise Mathieson

Communications Director, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

Joel D. Kaufman, MD, MPH

Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

Magali Blanco, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

External Organizing Committee

Cynthia Curl, PhD, MS
Associate Professor, Bosie State University

Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH
Professor, Stanford University 

Kurt Straif, PhD
Research Professor, Boston College

Nathan Donley, PhD
Environmental Health Science Director, Biological Diversity

Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc
Professor, Boston College

Symposium Logistics

When

The Seattle Glyphosate Symposium will be held in Seattle on March 25-26, 2026 beginning daily at 8:30 a.m. PST.

Where

The symposium will be held at the University of Washington Hans Rosling Center for Population Health in Seattle, Washington. Attendees may join the symposium virtually with the Zoom link provided upon registration.  

For in-person attendees who registered prior to March 10: 

Hans Rosling Center for Population Heath (HRC) 
3980 15th Avenue Northeast 
Seattle, WA 98195

For virtual attendees: Zoom registration is still open 

To attend this event virtually, please complete this Microsoft form: Seattle Glyphosate Symposium - Zoom Registration  – Fill out form. A link will be provided after registration.

Media event

Members of the media are invited to a briefing following the 2-day symposium with local and international researchers gathering to discuss new findings and update the 2016 consensus statement: Concerns over use of glyphosate-based herbicides and their risks.

When:

9:00am to 10:30am
Friday, March 27th

Where:

In-person:

Hans Rosling Center for Population Heath (HRC) 
3980 15th Avenue Northeast 
Seattle, WA 98195

Zoom:

Link will be provided after registration.

Media Event RSVP: 

Please register to attend in person or virtually at this link: Seattle Glyphosate Symposium Media Event - RSVP – Fill out form 

Questions

For event inquiries, please email seattleglyphosate@uw.edu