Stem Cells Across The Curriculum

This collection of video and text resources reviews informed consent and participatory research practices using three case studies: The Lacks Family, The Trevino Family (Embryonic Stem Cell Controversy), and the Havasapai (Informed Consent and Medical Research). The weekly program Religion & Ethics Weekly analyzes contemporary issues in biomedicine using cases studies and human stories and both video clips review how advances in genomic data lead to controversial choices about what our genes can and cannot tell us about our health, our identity, and our lineage. The two programs, the news articles and the policy forum collectively review new proposals regarding informed consent in the new genomic era. Garrison is a contributing author of the online resource “Genetics Resource Center”, which was developed by the National Congress of American Indians to educate communities about genomic research regarding issues of privacy and ownership and to provide model informed consent templates as well as an interactive decision guide. The last two entries provide insight on the proposal to require informed consent for de-identified boispecimens for any research in the US supported by federal funding. As of 2017, with the adoption of the changes to the "Common Rule," de-identified biospecimens can be collected and used without informed consent.