Please join us for the next Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine seminar scheduled for Wednesday, December 5, 2012, at 3-4 pm, NCRC Building 16, Room 266C. Michele Gornick, PhD, will present a talk entitled, "The Incidentalome: Unanticipated ethical challenges uncovered in our genomes." Please also share with interested students, faculty, and staff.

Summary: Recent advances in sequencing technology have enabled the systematic analysis of whole genomes, providing greater insight into the genetic basis of human disease. Using such technologies, including whole genome sequencing (WGS) and whole exome sequencing (WES), increases the possibility of encountering variants known to cause disease, suspected to cause disease, or those that are outside the original intent of testing. The latter are often referred to as incidental findings (IFs). While the discovery of IFs is a component of WGS/WES, the way in which the data is generated from genomic sequencing creates new ethical challenges associated with IFs that have direct clinical implications for patient health and personal utility.

Dr. Gornick received her PhD in Human Genetics at the University of Michigan, as well as a Masters in Statistics. She is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the VA and CBSSM.