Guest: Jenny Reardon

Since the mid 2000’s the field of genetics has seen rapid technological innovation, particularly in DNA sequencing and genotyping technologies that enable analysis of large portions of an individual’s genome at a relatively affordable cost. These advancements made possible not only the monumental Human Genome Project, but also direct-to-consumer DNA testing kits. So did these innovations democratize access to genetic information, or not?  What about questions of access, control and inclusion? 

Please join us for a conversation with Dr.  Jenny Reardon, Professor of Sociology and the Founding Director of the Science and Justice Research Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz.  Her research draws into focus questions about identity, justice and democracy that are often silently embedded in scientific ideas and practices, particularly in modern genomic research. 

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

Further reading:

• 23 and Me is Terrifying but Not for the Reasons the FDA Thinks
  
  
• On the Emergence of Science and Justice
  
  
• Why and How Bioethics Must Turn toward Justice: A Modest Proposal
  

The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.