The field of medical genetics and genomics has a complex and troubling history vis-a-vis racist ideologies—Carl Linnaeus divided humanity into four “varieties” and Charles Darwin saw humans as genetically distinct races. And, although the field has come a long way since its beginnings, systemic racism lingers in its institutions and practices. On this month’s GenePod, Genetics in Medicine editors Kyle Brothers, MD, PhD, Robin Bennett, MS, CGC, and Mildred Cho, PhD, discuss the work that must be done to start addressing the eradication of systemic racism from scientific publishing. The authors propose eight principles that are both scientifically grounded and anti-racist in an effort to provide a foundation for enlightened policy development by publishers and editorial boards in genetics and genomics.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Turning principles into policy: Combating systemic racism in genetics and genomics publications

Genetics in Medicine (GIM) is the official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. The journal's mission is to enhance the knowledge, understanding, and practice of medical genetics and genomics through publications in clinical and laboratory genetics and genomics, including ethical, legal, and social issues as well as public health. As genetics and genomics continue to increase in importance and relevance in medical practice, the journal will be an accessible and authoritative resource for the dissemination of medical genetic knowledge to all medical providers through appropriate original research, reviews, commentaries, standards, and guidelines. GIM encourages research that combats racism, includes diverse populations and is written by authors from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

Medicine

Science & Medicine

January: When it comes to breast cancer, Non-Hispanic Black women have a 40% higher mortality rate than Non-Hispanic White women. Additionally, Non-Hispanic Black women have dramatically lower rates of uptake of genetic testing and then, if testing finds variants that would warrant such actions, undergoing prophylactic preventative surgeries.

Genetics in Medicine: January 2022

December: As cardiovascular disease has many known genetic components, a team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine created a panel of genes associated with cardiovascular disease they call HeartCare. David Murdock, previously the assistant director of the clinical lab at Baylor College of Medicine’s Human Genome Sequencing Center and now a lab director at Invitae, states “we thought that by looking at genetic causes of cardiovascular disease in an adult population, that could really help us to push forward genetic testing in adults in general”.

Genetics in Medicine: December 2021

November: Polygenic risk scores (PRS) can be an important tool in breast cancer patients to help stratify individuals into levels of disease risk. The clinical utility of PRS is still being evaluated, but what hasn't yet been evaluated is how to communicate such results to patients, and how they respond to their PRS scores.

Genetics in Medicine: November 2021

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) can be an important tool in breast cancer patients to help stratify individuals into levels of disease risk. The clinical utility of PRS is still being evaluated, but what hasn't yet been evaluated is how to communicate such results to patients, and how they respond to their PRS scores.
On this month’s GenePod, Tatiane Yanes, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Queensland and a genetic counselor at the Queensland Children’s Hospital, discusses how a team of researchers surveyed an existing pool of patients that had undergone genetic testing for breast cancer. “We're really just trying to get an understanding of how someone might respond to receiving this information, and what sort of decisions they might make around their breast cancer risk management”, said Yanes.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The potential impact of a PRS-based breast cancer risk assessment

October: Researchers are still laying the groundwork in the search for therapeutics that target the mechanism for genetic disorders leading to new treatments. On this month’s GenePod, authors of two recently published articles in Genetics in Medicine discuss where trials for such molecules are succeeding and where there is still more research to be done to determine the efficacy and safety of new treatments.

Turning principles into policy: Combating systemic racism in genetics and genomics publications

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