Project Narrative The lack of American Indian and Alaska Native professionals in genomic sciences today highlights the tremendous need for effective training and research programs to prepare the next generation of indigenous students to be successful in their pursuit of careers in genetics research. This program combines didactic and experiential training activities, together with indigenous and community-based models of learning, to engage underrepresented Native students in research on the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomics research.
PROJECT NARRATIVE Consumer protections are of rising importance to the sustainability of personal genomics and mobile health industries and realization of precision health, yet the extent of consumer protections available from the Federal Trade Commission (the primary federal agency in the United States responsible for ensuring online privacy and data security beyond medical settings, for the prevention of unfair and deceptive trade practices of companies that might not be governed by HIPAA, and for promoting innovation) are poorly characterized and have received surprisingly little ELSI re
PROJECT NARRATIVE More efficient ways for people to make decisions about having genetic testing are needed. We will compare use of a chatbot to standard genetic counseling in helping healthy adults in a primary care setting make informed choices. If similar, this intervention can expand access to genetic testing to achieve greater equity.
The incorporation of genetics and genomics into medical care and the public domain raises new challenges for how we understand privacy and identity, concepts that have long been closely linked in American discourse.
PROJECT NARRATIVE The goal of the proposed research is to investigate how clinical genomic sequencing impacts families of pediatric patients. This research will develop an empirically informed framework of normative values important to families of pediatric patients, including ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI), which will then be used to elicit preferences for features of sequencing from a nationally representative sample of parents in the US.
PROJECT NARRATIVE Investigative genetic genealogy, a technique used by law enforcement to generate leads in criminal cases through searches of genetic genealogy databases, raises important privacy concerns for database participants and their families. This project will measure public preferences related to law enforcement participation in genetic genealogy databases and develop best practices for investigative genetic genealogy that operationalize these preferences by engaging experts and relevant constituencies.