Genomics and ethics symposium to explore issues surrounding DNA sequencing

The Medical College of Wisconsin’s (MCW) Program in Genomics and Ethics will host the second annual Genomics and Ethics Symposium Monday, May 19, at the Italian Conference Center in Milwaukee.

The symposium will explore ethical and clinical issues related to genomic sequencing technologies, including the use of large genomic data sets in public health research, the ethics of genomics research within ethnic minority communities, and governance surrounding the sharing of genomics data.

The keynote speaker will be Jeff Kahn, Ph.D., M.P.H., the Robert Henry Levi and Ryda Hecht Levi Professor of Bioethics and Public Policy at the Johns Hopkins Institute of Bioethics. The title of Dr. Kahn’s talk is “Genomics, Public Health, and Big Data: What’s ethics got to do with it?” Dr. Kahn is a former MCW bioethics faculty member.

Other speakers include Pilar Ossario, Ph.D., J.D., professor of law and bioethics at UW-Madison; Aaron Buseh, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S.N, associate professor of nursing at UW-Milwaukee; Arthur Derse, M.D., J.D., Julia and David Uihlein Professor of Medical Humanities and director of the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities at MCW; David Dimmock, M.D., associate professor of pediatric genetics at MCW and a clinical geneticist at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin; and Kimberly A. Strong, Ph.D., assistant professor of bioethics and medical humanities at MCW.

“As genomics becomes an integral part of our healthcare, it is essential to consider the complex ethical issues surrounding the use of the technology and data so that patients receive the best care and research is properly conducted to best serve the community,” said Dr. Derse.

The Program in Genomics and Ethics is funded by the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Research and Education Program Fund, a component of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin endowment at the MCW. It is housed in the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities at the MCW Institute for Health and Society.

The symposium is free. For more information, contact Jessica Jeruzal, program coordinator at (414) 955-8163 or jjeruzal@mcw.edu. To register for the symposium online, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PGE2014Registration.