This study will examine how the public conceptualizes human genetic mechanisms and interprets and uses this information. The major goals of this study are to 1) document the general character of the public's beliefs about how genes effect human traits, 2) investigate their use in explaining perceived differences between individuals and between gender, class and racial groups, and 3) explore the association between these beliefs and social-political attitudes.

The Mentored Scientist Development Award in Research Ethics will fulfill three main goals: 1) to obtain a broad and in-depth foundation in research ethics and to develop research skills in ethical reasoning and analysis in order to become a resource for those pursuing biomedical research; 2) to build a research program on the ethical implications of human genetic variation research for social distributive justice; and 3) to become an independent investigator in the field of research ethics upon the completion of this career development award.

The impetus for this proposal began with the decisions to include a Southern European population sample in the new Haplotype Map Project (HapMap Project) and to undertake this research among identified populations through a process referred to unofficially as 'community engagement.' Together, these two tracks led more specifically to the P.I., an American medical anthropologist who had lived and conducted research for many years in Florence, Italy.

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 proposed project explores a new direction in our larger research on the use of human genetic variation studies in the search for biomedically related genetic markers. Broadly, the aim of the new add-on project and the original project is to understand how human genetic variation researchers operationalize the concept of "a human population." Together, these studies will provide empirical information that will help geneticists and bioethicists to understand whether there may be potential downstream social and biomedical consequences of different conceptualizations.