The Mellowes Center Symposium on October 11–12, 2023 was a great success in that we: 1) engaged in more than 13 hours of seminars, led by experts in the field of rare disease and rare cancer, focusing on novel research developments, 2) brought together and fostered critical research collaborations among the participating investigators, and 3) established an annual event that will bring together students, faculty, and staff to generate novel connections and foster groundbreaking research.