This special topic issue of 'Human Heredity' contains papers and abstracts presented at the Symposium on Advances in Genomics, Epidemiology, and Statistics (SAGES) 2015 in Philadelphia. SAGES brings together an interdisciplinary group of scientists working in the fields of genomics, epidemiology, and statistics.

This special topic issue of 'Human Heredity' contains papers and abstracts presented at the Symposium on Advances in Genomics, Epidemiology, and Statistics (SAGES) 2015 in Philadelphia. Emphasis is on the need for a unified analytical framework, together with epidemiological data on environmental exposures and other risk factors, in order to fully understand the complex bases of human disease and phenotype variation. SAGES brings together an interdisciplinary group of scientists working in the fields of genomics, epidemiology, and statistics. It provides an opportunity for scientists at all levels in their careers to convene to review new developments, exchange ideas, and develop interactions and collaborations. This publication will be of interest to geneticists, especially those working in the areas of complex trait genetics and computational genomics.