This presentation will present results from focus groups conducted with representatives from African American and Latino communities as part of the Communities of Color Genetics Project (CCGP), funded by the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of genetic research, or ELSI. This project involves collaboration between the University of Michigan School of Public Health, the Michigan State University Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences, and The National Center for Research in Bioethics and Healthcare at Tuskegee University, Alabama. The project extends earlier work conducted under the leadership of Toby Citrin and Leonard Fleck focused on the development of ethically-grounded policy for use by professionals, institutions, and government policy makers in the genome area. The goals of the CCGP are specifically to engage African American and Latino communities in dialogues related to genome research and technology, and to develop recommendations for professional standards, policies and laws on the basis of those discussions. This presentation will focus on results from analysis of focus groups conducted as part of the CCGP, and will present those results within the context of the history of medical and public health research and practice over the past several hundred years in the United States. We will conclude with a discussion of implications for public health research and practice within a race-conscious society, and particularly with specific suggestions for facilitating active engagement and influence of communities of color in public health research and practice.
Learning Objectives: Participants will: 1. Understand key issues and concerns raised by representatives from Latino and African American communities regarding genetics information and technology; 2. Understand the relationship of these key concerns to historical and contemporary experiences of Latinos and African Americans in the United States; 3. Discuss implications and specific suggestions for facilitating active engagement and influence of communities of color in public health research and practice.
Keywords: Community Participation, Genetics
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.