Nchangwi Syntia Munung, Charmaine D. Royal, Carmen de Kock, Gordon Awandare, Victoria Nembaware, Seraphin Nguefack, Marsha Treadwell, Ambroise Wonkam
{"title":"Genomics and Health Data Governance in Africa: Democratize the Use of Big Data and Popularize Public Engagement","authors":"Nchangwi Syntia Munung, Charmaine D. Royal, Carmen de Kock, Gordon Awandare, Victoria Nembaware, Seraphin Nguefack, Marsha Treadwell, Ambroise Wonkam","doi":"10.1002/hast.4933","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4933","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Effectively addressing ethical issues in precision medicine research in Africa requires a holistic social contract that integrates biomedical knowledge with local cultural values and Indigenous knowledge systems. Drawing on African epistemologies such as <i>ubuntu</i> and <i>ujamaa</i> and on our collective experiences in genomics and big data research for sickle cell disease, hearing impairment, and fragile X syndrome and the project Public Understanding of Big Data in Genomics Medicine in Africa, we envision a transformative shift in health research data governance in Africa that could help create a sense of shared responsibility between all stakeholders in genomics and data-driven health research in Africa. This shift includes proposing a social contract for genomics and data science in health research that is grounded in African communitarianism such as solidarity, shared decision-making, and reciprocity. We make several recommendations for a social contract for genomics and data science in health, including the coproduction of genomics knowledge with study communities, power sharing between stakeholders, public education on the ethical and social implications of genetics and data science, benefit sharing, giving voice to data subjects through dynamic consent, and democratizing data access to allow wide access by all research stakeholders. Achieving this would require adopting participatory approaches to genomics and data governance.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55073,"journal":{"name":"Hastings Center Report","volume":"54 S2","pages":"S84-S92"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hast.4933","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142868991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Genomics and Biodiversity: Applications and Ethical Considerations for Climate-Just Conservation","authors":"Skye A. Miner, Timothy J. Thurman","doi":"10.1002/hast.4936","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4936","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Genomics holds significant potential for conservationists, offering tools to monitor species risks, enhance conservation strategies, envision biodiverse futures, and advance climate justice. However, integrating genomics into conservation requires careful consideration of its impacts on biodiversity, the diversity of scientific researchers, and governance strategies for data usage. These factors must be balanced with the varied interests of affected communities and environmental concerns. We argue that conservationists should engage with diverse communities, particularly those historically marginalized and most vulnerable to climate change. This inclusive approach can ensure that genomic technologies are applied ethically and effectively, aligning conservation efforts with broader social and environmental justice goals. Engaging diverse stakeholders will help guide responsible genomic integration, fostering equitable and sustainable conservation outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":55073,"journal":{"name":"Hastings Center Report","volume":"54 S2","pages":"S114-S119"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hast.4936","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142869045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Can Open Science Advance Health Justice? Genomic Research Dissemination in the Evolving Data-Sharing Landscape","authors":"Stephanie A. Kraft, Kathleen F. Mittendorf","doi":"10.1002/hast.4932","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4932","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Scientific data-sharing and open science initiatives are increasingly important mechanisms for advancing the impact of genomic research. These mechanisms are being implemented as growing attention is paid to the need to improve the inclusion of research participants from marginalized and underrepresented groups. Together, these efforts aim to promote equitable advancements in genomic medicine. However, if not guided by community-informed protections, these efforts may harm the very participants and communities they aim to benefit. This essay examines potential benefits and harms of open science and explores how to advance a more just vision of open science in genomics. Drawing on relational ethics frameworks, we argue that researchers should consider their obligations to participants as well as the broader communities that are impacted by their research. We propose eight strategies to provide a foundation of practical steps for researchers to reduce the possibility of harms stemming from open science and to work toward genomic justice.</p>","PeriodicalId":55073,"journal":{"name":"Hastings Center Report","volume":"54 S2","pages":"S73-S83"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hast.4932","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142868990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kevin T. Mintz, Joseph A. Stramondo, Holly K. Tabor
{"title":"Nothing about Us without Us in Precision Medicine: A Call to Reframe Disability Difference in Genetics and Genomics","authors":"Kevin T. Mintz, Joseph A. Stramondo, Holly K. Tabor","doi":"10.1002/hast.4928","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4928","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Sixty-one million Americans and approximately a billion people worldwide live with some form of disability that limits one or more major life activities. The field of precision medicine continues to grapple with how to best serve disability communities. In this paper, we suggest that precision medicine faces an ethical tension between its goal to treat or cure disabling conditions and views that consider disability as a marginalized identity. We appeal to the concepts of recognition justice and distributive justice to argue that the ELSI community should take a more proactive role in promoting disability inclusion in precision medicine's practice and research. We also highlight two priorities for the ELSI community moving forward: facilitating greater collaboration between genetics and genomic professionals and disability communities and advocating for inclusive research design and disability accommodations in the research process.</p>","PeriodicalId":55073,"journal":{"name":"Hastings Center Report","volume":"54 S2","pages":"S41-S48"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hast.4928","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142868988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From Eugenics to Human Genome Editing: Bionationalism and Instrumentalizing Life in China within a Global Context","authors":"Jing-Bao Nie","doi":"10.1002/hast.4935","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4935","url":null,"abstract":"<p>As shocking as He Jiankui's genetic experiment resulting in the world's first gene-edited babies may have been, a socioethical inquiry into this paradigmatic case of scientific misconduct reveals its deep roots in genetic and scientific nationalism, as manifested in the widely accepted practice of <i>yousheng</i> (superior birth or eugenics) in China and the country's authoritarian pursuit of science superpower status. Along with eugenics, bionationalism has long been an international phenomenon. A <i>global sociobioethics</i> or <i>ethical transculturalism</i> is thus necessary to adequately investigate the macrolevel sociopolitical, historical, and transnational forces, such as bionationalism, that structurally shape bioethical issues and people's responses to them, causing the systematic undermining of essential bioethical norms and the instrumentalization of human life.</p>","PeriodicalId":55073,"journal":{"name":"Hastings Center Report","volume":"54 S2","pages":"S102-S113"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hast.4935","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142868993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"About The Hastings Center, the Center for ELSI Resources and Analytics, and the Cover Art","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/hast.4940","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4940","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55073,"journal":{"name":"Hastings Center Report","volume":"54 S2","pages":"back_cover"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hast.4940","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142869043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Deanne Dunbar Dolan, Danielle M. Pacia, Josephine Johnston, Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, Mildred K. Cho
{"title":"Expanding the Agenda for a More Just Genomics","authors":"Deanne Dunbar Dolan, Danielle M. Pacia, Josephine Johnston, Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, Mildred K. Cho","doi":"10.1002/hast.4924","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4924","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The integration of genomics into public health and medicine is happening at a faster rate than the accrual of the capabilities necessary to ensure the equitable, global distribution of its clinical benefits. Uneven access to genetic testing and follow-up care, unequal distribution of the resources required to access and participate in research, and underrepresentation of some descent groups in genetic and clinical datasets (and thus uncertain genetic results for some patients) are just some of the reasons to center justice in genomics. A more just genomics is an imperative rooted in the ethical obligations incurred by a publicly funded science that is reliant on human data. These features of genomics indebt the genomics enterprise and compel the expanded scope of responsibility proposed by the authors of this special report. The report begins to define justice in genomics for different stakeholder groups and proposes substantial shifts in power, resource distribution, scientific practice, and governance that could enable genomics to meet its obligations to humanity.</p>","PeriodicalId":55073,"journal":{"name":"Hastings Center Report","volume":"54 S2","pages":"S2-S13"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hast.4924","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142869048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rectifying or Reinforcing? The (In)Equity Implications of Recontacting Practices in Genomic Medicine","authors":"Michael P. Mackley, Hanna Faghfoury, Lauren Chad","doi":"10.1002/hast.4926","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4926","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The practice of recontact in genomic medicine has the power to help rectify long-standing inequities in genetic testing. However, if not delivered systematically, recontacting practices also have the potential to reinforce these same inequities. Recontact, which occurs when contact between a clinician and patient is reinitiated after a relationship has ended, is often in search of or in response to updated interpretation or results. Currently, recontact is happening in a patient-driven and ad hoc manner, undermining its potential to benefit all patients. In this paper, the authors position justice as an additional argument in favor of systematic recontact and an argument against the predominantly patient-initiated model. They argue that patients from equity-deserving groups should be early beneficiaries of an emerging responsibility to recontact patients. The authors share illustrative clinical vignettes and propose role-specific and systems-level solutions to rightfully position recontact as a tool to promote a more equitable clinical genomics future.</p>","PeriodicalId":55073,"journal":{"name":"Hastings Center Report","volume":"54 S2","pages":"S22-S30"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hast.4926","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142869050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Charles Dupras, Marie-Pierre Dubé, Simon Gravel, Hazar Haidar
{"title":"Accountability for Reasonableness as a Framework for the Promotion of Fair and Equitable Research","authors":"Charles Dupras, Marie-Pierre Dubé, Simon Gravel, Hazar Haidar","doi":"10.1002/hast.4931","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4931","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Despite increased efforts to ensure diversity in genomic research, the exclusion of minority groups from data analyses and publications remains a critical issue. This paper addresses the ethical implications of these exclusions and proposes <i>accountability for reasonableness</i> (<i>A4R</i>) as a framework to promote fairness and equity in research. Originally conceived by Norman Daniels and James Sabin to guide resource allocation in the context of health policy, A4R emphasizes publicity, relevance of reasons, enforcement, and revision as essential for legitimacy and trust in the decision-making process. The authors argue that A4R is also relevant to resource allocation in research and that, if adequately informed and incentivized by funding agencies, institutional review boards, and scientific journals, researchers are well-positioned to assess data-selection justifications. The A4R framework provides a promising foundation for fostering accountability in genomics and other fields, including artificial intelligence, where lack of diversity and pervasive biases threaten equitable benefit sharing.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55073,"journal":{"name":"Hastings Center Report","volume":"54 S2","pages":"S66-S72"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hast.4931","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142868989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Monica H. Wojcik, Hadley S. Smith, Yarden S. Fraiman
{"title":"Where the Genetic Code Meets the Zip Code: Advancing Equity in Rare Disease Genomics","authors":"Monica H. Wojcik, Hadley S. Smith, Yarden S. Fraiman","doi":"10.1002/hast.4929","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4929","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The promise of genomic medicine lies in the opportunity to improve health outcomes via a personalized approach to management, grounded in genetic and genomic variation unique to an individual. However, disparities and inequities mar this remarkable landscape of genomic innovation. Prior efforts to understand these inequities have focused on populations for which genetic testing is relatively protocolized or where test utility varies greatly by ancestry groups, where equitable outcomes are more clearly defined. We therefore consider the current landscape of rare disease genomics, in which diagnostic approaches vary widely and utility remains to be fully understood, and suggest a path forward: how ecosocial theory may be used to guide novel equity-focused initiatives that incorporate illness narratives to improve population health. We present examples of narrative medicine in rare disease and reimagine the role this discipline may play in genomic sequencing studies, toward incorporation of the unique illness narrative into clinical genetics and genomics practice. Approaches that broaden the definitions of disease and of outcomes of interest will force the field to grapple with its racist history and begin to advance health equity and promote justice so that genomic medicine may truly deliver on its promise.</p>","PeriodicalId":55073,"journal":{"name":"Hastings Center Report","volume":"54 S2","pages":"S49-S55"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hast.4929","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142868994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}