Henrietta Lacks is the mother of modern medicine—a true hero to the scientific community and the millions of people whose lives have been saved by her cells. Her story, however, is also the backdrop to a set of four key ethical issues surrounding precision medicine and biomedical research: consent, privacy, monetization, and community mistreatment.

In this informative session, Drs. Angela Brown and Vetta Sanders Thompson will present an overview of the Henrietta Lacks story and precision medicine. They’ll also moderate discussion around community perspectives of key ethical issues—what’s okay, what’s not okay, and what messages do health care providers, researchers, and genetic testing businesses need to hear?

This event is a part of a series of events honoring the HELA100 CELLabration, the Lacks’ family initiative to celebrate the life and legacy of Henrietta Lacks at her 100th birthday.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all Washington University School of Medicine sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this event, please contact the Washington University School of Medicine Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in advance at 314-273-2809 or MedDEI@wustl.edu.

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