The inaugural event, facilitated primarily by CAAT, was developed in partnership with a small cohort of academic centers and multi-organization coalitions active in the field of exposomics. The Forum welcomed over 300 scientists, policymakers, and experts from more than 50 countries and was aimed at launching a bold global effort to map the “exposome” – the complete set of environmental exposures affecting human health throughout life. By all measures the event was an incredible success, culminating in the Washington Declaration which committed all signatories to advancing exposomics as a scientific discipline, a public health priority, and broader compliment to genomics.
In addition to the many keynote and panel discussions led by innovators in exposomics and adjacent fields, the Forum organized a cascading series of breakout sessions. Attendees had the profound opportunity to share insights and discuss, among their 30 – 150 person cohorts organized by specialty, how to translate all the ideation and big pictures from the group presentations into actionable interventions and measurable outcomes. These were undoubtably a highlight of the agenda and facilitated many new, and hopefully long-term, connections between attendees. Many indicated to the organizers that they left these sessions feeling particularly energized and motivated to further engage with and commit to this collective effort. 
The multi-day forum placed significant emphasis on global participation, ethical governance, and citizen engagement. Though discussion is still ongoing, this priority is what CAAT intends to be at the center of the center’s continued contributions to the burgeoning field and the focus of future convenings. Considering CAATs location, pre-established institutional partnerships, and history of facilitating exchange between disperse groups, the center is well positioned to support and manage critical exchange between exposomic experts, civil society, and the public sector.
In a media briefing organized to further facilitate public education and exchange on exposomics, Dr. Fenna Sillé, CAAT Deputy Director and principal organizer of the Forum, underscored the global nature of the initiative: “The Exposome Moonshot is not a Western project,” she stated. “It is an intercontinental project that demands intercontinental participation. Our goal is not to build ivory towers—it’s to make exposome science visible, accountable, and useful to society.”
CAAT Director Dr. Thomas Hartung emphasized the transformative nature of this initiative and the need for institutional and public interest: “We are not promising a rocket launch to a ready destination. We are building the launchpad. The exposome is not the rocket; it is the moon. Each new data point, each discovery, is a step toward that distant but vital world where prevention replaces reaction and science empowers health.”
Already, follow-up events are being planned and scheduled, potentially across five continents, as researchers, administrators, and collaborators of the forum build on what Hartung described as the foundation for “a new era of preventive health where science empowers individuals and communities to take control of their environmental health destiny.”
The Exposome Moonshot Forum Organizing Committee, in an effort to center the citizens, have launched a call for members of the public to express support by signing the Washington Declaration. If you would like to add your name to the growing list of supporters, including AI experts, NIH directors, and leaders in the field of exposomics, please click the button below to sign and formally express your support.