We invite you to listen to a fascinating conversation about:
- How research in human genetics can cause harm to underrepresented populations in health care.
- How the practice of utilizing genetic testing and research in patient care needs to maintain the patient’s identity and experience at the center of the therapeutic approach.
- The steps that health care professionals can take to ensure genetic research and its application in medical practice is responsive to the needs and wants of the impacted community.
Dr. Baker sums it up:
“Get excited about diversity. Diversity is beauty. Diversity is humanity. Diversity is the richness that gives us all these scientific questions and medical mysteries to unravel and work with our patients to solve. It’s not something to be afraid of. It’s not something that’s new. Human diversity and all these elements of personhood is as old as humanity itself.
And it’s up to our medical and scientific communities to catch up with people and to make sure that we are serving people and creating trust with people and creating interventions, tests, screenings, research studies that embrace the diversity of human experience and human biology and physiology. And then really works to connect each individual person with the care, support and resources that they need.
That’s the ultimate calling of the medical profession, to help and to heal. And we can do that, and we can do that better if we really see people for the full truth of who they are.”
