Michele Gornick, PhD
VA HSRD Fellow & CBSSM Research Investigator
Title: The public’s preferences for the return of secondary findings identified through genome sequencing: Information and deliberation make a difference
Summary: Genomic sequencing is becoming a part of clinical practice. Existing studies are limited and conclude that people would like unrestricted access to all of their genetic information. However, we do not know the extent to which respondents in these studies took into account the complex scientific and ethical issues that attend genome sequencing. In order to address this gap, we organized a deliberative democracy (DD) session to educate members of the public on genome sequencing, to engage them in dialogue about the benefits and risks of the clinical implementation of this technology, and to elicit their informed perspectives about policies governing the return of secondary findings.