Concepts of Race & Ethnicity in Genetics Research

This project will examine how genetic scientists and clinicians integrate concepts of race and ethnicity into their work. Using a combined qualitative and quantitative approach, this project will explore how race and ethnicity are defined and categorized; how implicitly social constructs about racial and ethnic differences may be affecting these concepts and practices; and ways that unexamined constructs of racial and ethnic differences may influence how genetic knowledge is interpreted and applied. The specific aims are to: 1) identify the perceptions and expectations of genetic scientists and clinicians regarding the importance of race and ethnicity to their work; 2) describe how race and ethnicity are understood and how classifications are made by genetic scientists and clinicians in their research and practice; and 3) explore how research findings and clinical experiences regarding the relevance of race and ethnicity are interpreted and applied by genetic scientists and clinicians.