It was months ago, and I’m still haunted by the phrase. I was on a call for work, where a group of biomedical researchers was discussing ethical issues in engaging sensitive and vulnerable populations in genomic research. (An aside: why is this such an important and timely topic? In genomics, there is a well-warranted Read More…
Category: Ethics
My experience with identity theft and the case for adaptive governance
The saying goes that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but when it comes to identity theft — this could not be further from the truth. I dealt with a mild smattering of identity theft in the spring of 2018 and then, more recently, with a veritable deluge of it. Bank accounts I didn’t Read More…
Data ethics: risk- versus respect-based concerns
Personal data. We walk around emitting little streams of it, from our browsing history and smartphone apps to our credit card purchases. Most of the time we don’t even think about it — it’s become as a natural and invisible a process as shedding skin cells. Meanwhile, various entities are out there hoovering up all Read More…
Reflections on the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
In October, my graduate program hosted a public screening of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” followed by an expert panel discussion. For those unfamiliar with Rebecca Skloot’s book and the story of HeLa cells, I highly recommend these two Radiolab episodes as background. Briefly, Lacks was an African-American woman diagnosed with cervical cancer in Read More…