Division of Ethics Chief Sandra Soo-Jin Lee Awarded G13 Grant by NIH

Division of Ethics Chief Sandra Soo-Jin Lee and Janet Shim, Chair of Sociobehavioral Sciences at UCSF, have been awarded a three year G13 Grant for Scholarly Works in Biomedicine and Health from the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Their book project is entitled “Diversity in Practice: the Quest for Inclusion in Precision Medicine.” 

Precision medicine is an approach to healthcare that takes into considerations the differences between individuals, particularly variations in their genes and proteins. This can help improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare disparities. However, research has typically not included people from diverse backgrounds, which has led to a limited understanding of how genetic and environmental factors affect the health of underrepresented groups. More recently, there have been efforts to make precision medicine research (PMR) more inclusive, and consequently, more effective. 

Professor Lee and Professor Shim's book project aims to analyze these efforts and their impact on underrepresented populations in precision medicine research. Their analysis will synthesize data from three new studies into how PMR is conducted, constituting the first book-length study of its kind. This project will also provide a review of documents related to PMR consortia and research sites, featuring interviews with a range of stakeholders, including funders, researchers and participants. The book resulting from this project will provide a rich analysis of how precision medicine research is unfolding and how it impacts the populations it serves and society at large. The book is intended for researchers, policymakers, research funders, institutions, scholars, and the general public interested in biomedical research.