Sonia Suter, John and Inge Stafford Faculty Research Professor at GW Law, just completed a university seminar series at the George Washington University (GW) to foster discussion about genomics and genetic testing.
Also leading the seminar is Shawneequa Callier, Associate Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Professors Suter and Callier collaborated on this project to raise awareness on the GW campus about the vast amount of information consumers now have through genomics.
“The average person is thinking about these things a lot more than they used to. Partly because the news and advertisements feature DNA testing a great deal these days,” Professor Suter said. “What we can offer people in genetic testing today is a lot different from when I was a genetic counselor. At that time, we mostly offered reproductive genetics. There wasn’t a lot of testing to identify increased risks for future illnesses. I think genetic testing is more salient to the everyday person today because there’s more available to them.”
This academic year, Professors Suter and Callier organized seminars that discussed genomic literacy and reproductive genomics. They are seeking funding for next year to promote deliberation about such issues as race in genomics, health disparities, gene editing, and precision medicine.
Professors Suter and Callier discussed their work in Medicine + Health, the GW School of Medicine and Health Science magazine, in the Spring 2019 edition. Read the Q&A to learn more about their work on the ethics of genomics at gwmedicinehealth.com.