Krystal Tsosie, PhD, MPH, MA
Presented on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 – 4:00 PM MST
Watch this webinar: https://bit.ly/3FYIF40
Indigenous people still constitute <1% of participants in precision and genomic medicine research despite endeavors to increase inclusivity. Past ethical issues related to Indigenous genomics have not been adequately reconciled and are now being repeated in the new era of Big Data. Concerns persist about the collectivization of Indigenous data into open-access databases that circumvent tribal research oversight, the underestimation of socioeconomic and cultural factors contributing to health disparities, and continued biocommercial exploitation of Indigenous biomarkers.
Krystal will describe community-engaged research in two tribal communities and describe paths forward that center Indigenous people as the agents of access for their own genomic and health data. The future of Indigenous genomics is not mere inclusion but through recognition of Indigenous genomic and data sovereignty.
Krystal Tsosie (Diné/Navajo), MPH, MA, is completing her PhD in Genomics and Health Disparities at Vanderbilt University. As a geneticist-bioethicist, she co-founded the Native BioData Consortium, the first US Indigenous-led biobank and 501c3 nonprofit institution. Her research centers on ethical engagement with Indigenous communities in genomics and precision health. Utilizing dual quantitative and qualitative methods, she incorporates biostatistics, genetic epidemiology, public health, and computational approaches to disparities in, particularly, women’s health. Krystal’s research and educational endeavors have received international media attention in The Washington Post, NPR, New York Times, The Atlantic, Forbes, Boston Globe, among others.