Prenatal screening and testing technologies using genetic methods are rapidly expanding, offering increasing amounts of genetic information about the fetus. However, research shows that women from underserved populations are less likely to receive or accept prenatal genetic services, leading to discordant birth outcomes. We propose to explore the barriers to access and acceptance of prenatal genetic care among women from underserved populations.
Project Narrative ?Ethical and Social Implications of In Vitro Gametogenesis? In vitro gametogenesis (IVG) is an emerging technology that involves making an egg or a sperm cell outside of the body from a skin cell or a progenitor germ cell, an approach recently validated in mouse models.
This project is designed to improve our understanding of when to best communicate parental genetic risk information to minor children by assessing the minor?s readiness to receive such information from the perspective of the parent and the minor child themselves. We will interview parent-child pairs who have already communicated about parental genetic risk information to richly characterize experiences with, perspectives on, and implications of the communication event(s).
PROJECT NARRATIVE Human genome editing technologies are evolving rapidly and with this evolution brings questions regarding governance and the ethical implications involved in applying these technologies. The He Jiankui controversy is the primary example of the potential exploitation of HGE and the importance of self-governance. This project will be the first case-study to evaluate self-governance in the realm of human genome editing technologies, the findings of which will be validated through a survey of HGE scientists.
PROJECT NARRATIVE A number of US employers are offering their employees confidential workplace genomic testing (wGT), a service that could inform employees of their genetic risk for certain treatable diseases but may also raise concerns about genetic privacy and workplace discrimination.
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 At least 15% of children with cancer have an underlying genetic cause of their cancer, requiring significant counseling regarding therapy modifications, cancer surveillance, and lifestyle changes for both the patient and their family. There is a shortage of qualified genetic counselors available to meet with these families, especially in the stressful setting of cancer diagnosis.
PROJECT NARRATIVE Between 1907 and the mid-1970s, 32 US states passed and implemented eugenic sterilization laws that authorized the sterilization of people considered unfit. Our epidemiological, historical and mixed-methods analysis of over 32,000 eugenic sterilization requests in five US states (California, North Carolina, Iowa, Michigan and Utah) identifies varying demographic patterns and documents changes in how eugenics laws were applied over time.
Project Narrative Studies suggest that distrust is a major barrier for participation of minorities in Precision Medicine Research (PMR), though no study has examined the sources of (dis)trust and factors affecting views on trustworthiness of PMR among people with disabilities. This study proposes to engage with people with mobility, visual and hearing disabilities?the most common conditions in the U.S.?across racial/ethnic communities and with translational genomic researchers, the leaders in PMR, to close this gap.
Puerto Ricans are especially at risk of experiencing distributive injustice, or the structural exclusion from participating in genetic research that could potentially benefit them.