Events / “Referring to Whom? The ‘Indigenous Reference Genome'”
Event banner for Krystal Tsosie's Lecture. Includes a headshot of Krystal Tsosie wearing a lab coat.

“Referring to Whom? The ‘Indigenous Reference Genome'”

April 12, 2023
5:20 pm - 7:00 pm
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The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute is excited to join Associate Professor Karen Miga’s BME 80G Bioethics course in inviting indigenous geneticist- bioethicist Dr. Krystal Tsosie to come speak on campus April 12th at 5:20PM in Classroom Unit 2. Everyone is welcome to attend this lecture – a panel discussion will follow.

A zoom option is available for members of the campus community who cannot attend in person. Register for the Zoom link here.

 

Speaker Bio:

Krystal Tsosie (Diné/Navajo Nation), PhD, MPH, MA, is assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. As an advocate for Indigenous genomic data sovereignty, she co-founded the first US Indigenous-led biobank, called the Native BioData Consortium.

 

Her research can be encapsulated in two main foci: Indigenous population genetics and bioethics. In particular, she focuses on bioethical engagement of Indigenous communities in genomics and data science to build trust. As a whole, her interest is in integrating genomic and data approaches to assess Indigenous variation contributing to health inequities.

 

Her research and educational endeavors have received increasing national and international media attention as scientists worldwide are understanding the importance of equitable, community-based engagement models and the importance of Indigenous genomic data sovereignty. Her work has been covered by popular media outlets including PBS NOVA, The Washington Post, NPR, New York Times, The Atlantic, Forbes, and Boston Globe. She currently serves on the Government Policy and Advocacy Committee for the American Society of Human Genetics and the National Academy of Medicine Announces Committee on Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation. She is a current Global Chair in ENRICH (Equity for Indigenous Research and Innovation Coordinating Hub), which focuses on enhancing Indigenous rights to develop, control, and govern Indigenous data and supports participation in STEM and in digitally‐enabled futures.

 

This lecture is a precursor to the Genomics Institute’s Advancing Anti-Racist Practices in Genomics Symposium scheduled for May 19th. We encourage everyone to attend!