National Black Leadership Conference on Genetics

The National Black Leadership Conference on Genetics will bring together thought, civic, and elected leaders from the black community to learn about human genetics, new developments in genetic technology, future research directions, the application of genetics to health and medicine, and the use of genetic information and technology outside of the medical context. Participants will consider issues for the black community arising from advances in genetics, explore areas of optimism and concern, and identify high priority issues for further collaborative exploration. The outcome of the Conference will be for the participants to identify and prioritize action steps to bring an important voice to the nation's consideration of the development and use of new genetic technologies.

The plenary presentations and break out discussions during the two-day meeting will address questions such as why have scientists engaged in a concerted effort to uncover the genetic differences and similarities between peoples from differing geographic origins? How will this information be understood and how does it fit into an historical context? How will this information be used to improve health care? How might other social institutions use this information? What role should participating organizations play in the nation's consideration of the development and use of new genetic technologies to maximize benefits for the black community? Individuals in leadership positions in national and regional organizations focusing primarily on issues of concern to the black community will be invited to participate in the Conference. The Conference will be held in Washington DC in October 2004. (co-fund with DOE)