Samoans represent a distinctive case among human groups due to their history of complex migration and multi-way admixture leading to diverse ancestral sources of archaic introgression. However, our understanding of the genetic structure of Samoans and its potential impact on health outcomes is still limited. In this talk, I will discuss our ongoing work leveraging 1,250 high-coverage Samoan whole genome sequences generated by the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program to characterize genetic variation across Samoa and to investigate signatures of Denisovan and Neanderthal introgression in modern Samoan genomes. I will also discuss our findings of population-specific associations related to archaic introgression with anthropometric traits and cardiometabolic outcomes.
