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Genes & Society: Decolonizing Human Genetic Research Workshop Series

The Genomic Fire Next Time: Reflections on charting your scientific path

Dr. Latifa Jackson, Assistant Professor, College of Medicine, Howard University

Website | Twitter @latifajackson

Multi-omic data has been used to create narratives about who we are as humans—are they correct or do they tell a very one-sided story? Hosted in collaboration with BAA (Being an Ally in Academics).

Abstract

I am a scientist, an evolutionary genomicist, and a biomedical bioinformatician. in some ways I took the road less travelled to my current position and I want to talk about how that afforded me a unique view of genomics. Science as a field is undergoing significant change… but where do you stand on that change? I am interested in how we create the inclusive scientific community we want to work in. My intellectual interests have guided me to think about infectious disease, evolutionary processes, and environmental stressors. Please join me to hear about how we have to interrogate conventional wisdom in order to really make a mark in our scientific disciplines. Along the way, the life lessons I have experienced will hopefully help you think about what you value in science, what needs to change in order for us to have real engagement of all communities in science.

Related reading:

• First Person: Latifa Jackson, American Scientist 

Schedule of Related Events

The BAA is pleased to host Dr. Latifa Jackson for the Spring 2023 Workshop Series. As an assistant professor of pediatrics at Howard University, Latifa Jackson is concerned with public health, but also with evolutionary biology and the genetic signatures of selection that can affect disease outcomes. Jackson is part of an initiative at Howard’s William Montague Cobb Research Laboratory called the 1,000 African-American Genomes Project, which aims to compare samples from different populations of current and ancestral Africans to determine differing allele frequencies.

• Monday, March 20, 1:30 – 2:30 PM – GGA Seminar with Dr. Jackson, The Fire Next Time: Implications of Environmental Stress on Human Health, @ Stephens Room, 3505 Thomas Hall
• Monday, March 20, 6:30 – 7:30 PM – BAA Fireside chat and reception with Dr. Jackson, @ Erdahl-Cloyd 2304, DH Hill Library
  > As part of a two-day engagement, Dr. Jackson will join us for a “fireside chat” to answer your questions about her research on the effect of sexual and racial discrimination on human health, her work with the 1,000 African-American Genomes Project, her career path, and more. RSVP AND SUBMIT QUESTIONS

While the events over the last several years in the United States have placed an important focus on issues of race, diversity, and systemic inequalities; these issues are long-standing and embedded within institutions, academic disciplines, and the broader scientific community. In response to the most recent examples of these inequalities, NC State has stated that “Diversity is critical to NC State’s mission” and that “New perspectives deepen our understanding, strengthen our community and propel our innovation.” Building upon NC State’s mission statement and past successful race and science events, NC State’s Being an Ally in Academics (BAA) group has collaborated with Genetics and Genomics Academy, the Genetics and Engineering in Society Center (GES), and TriCEM to organize a new two-day workshop series titled, “Genes and Society: Decolonizing Human Genetic Research”. The goal of this series is to explore the current and historical intersections of racism, systemic inequalities, and human genetic research with an emphasis on inviting diverse and historically underrepresented groups as seminar speakers.

GES Colloquium (GES 591-002) is jointly taught by Drs. Jen Baltzegar and Dawn Rodriguez-Ward, who you may contact with any class-specific questions. Colloquium will generally be live-streamed via Zoom, with monthly in-person meetings in 1911 Building, Room 129.

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