This special interest group is led by Dr. Scott Roberts who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the School of Public Health as well as the Director and Co-Director of the Public Health Genetics Certificate Program and the Dual Degree Program in Public Health and Genetic Counseling, respectively. Research within this area examines the ethical, social and behavioral implications of advances in genomics. CBSSM serves as a crucial locus for facilitating collaborations across disciplines and units. In fact, several groups across campus have invited us to collaborate on the study of bioethical issues related to burgeoning genomics-related research; these partners include investigators at U-M’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, and the Division of Pediatric Genetics.
Topics of interest include the following:
- The psychological and behavioral impact of genetic testing (Scott Roberts; Brian Zikmund-Fisher)
- Communication of genetic risk information (Michele Gornick; Scott Roberts; Beth Tarini; Brian Zikmund-Fisher)
- Direct-to-consumer genetic testing (Scott Roberts)
- Healthcare provider education in genomics (Scott Roberts)
- Informed consent in genomic research (Michele Gornick)
- Expert decision-making in genomic medicine (Raymond De Vries)
- Public understanding of genomics (Michele Gornick; Scott Roberts)
- Ethical and policy implications of genomic discoveries (Michele Gornick; Raymond De Vries)