The Prairie Landscape

"WHAT IS FAIR? GENETICS AND PUBLIC POLICY" SEPT 25 AT THE DUSABLE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

09/04/2007


The Illinois Humanities Council presents the final program in its series: “Future Perfect: Conversations on the Meaning of the Genetics Revolution.”

CHICAGO – Debates are raging today about stem cell research, the ethics of genetic research, and how we make policies regulating scientific research in a pluralistic society. What is the responsibility of the government to support medical research that is also ethically problematic for a large portion of our polity? How has contemporary bioethics addressed or ignored issues of race? If government does not support genetic research and it moves to the private sector, how can we ensure that the fruits of this research will be accessible to all?

Excerpts from the Kartemquin Films’ documentary, Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita, will be also be featured.

“What is Fair? Genetics and Public Policy” will take place on Tuesday, September 25 from 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. at the DuSable Museum of African American History (740 East 56th Place). Attendees will have an opportunity to view the exhibit, From Dreams to Determination: The Legacy of Doctors Percy and Anna Julian, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. To make reservations or for more information, contact the IHC at 312.422.5580, send an email to ihc@prairie.org, or visit www.prairie.org/genetics.

The panelists for “What is Fair?” are:

  • Maria Finitzo, filmmaker who will present excerpts from her documentary Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita
  • Vanessa Northington Gamble, M.D., Ph.D., University Professor of Medical Humanities at George Washington University and former Director of theTuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care
  • Dorothy Roberts, J.D., Kirkland & Ellis Professor at Northwestern University School of Law and Faculty Fellow at Institute for Policy Research (moderator)
  • Lainie Friedman Ross, M.D., Ph.D., the Carolyn and Matthew Bucksbaum Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine; Section Chief of Community Health Sciences, Institute for Molecular Pediatric Sciences; and Associate Director, MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago

“What is Fair? Genetics and Public Policy” is presented in partnership with the American Medical Association, The DuSable Museum of African American History, and Kartemquin Films.

“What is Fair?” is part of the Illinois Humanities Council’s year-long series, “Future Perfect: Conversations on the Meaning of the Genetics Revolution.” Programs are taking place around the state -- in Carbondale, Chicago, Decatur, Lewistown, Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield -- to increase public knowledge of genetics by engaging Illinoisans in conversations about the genetics revolution and its impact on the individual and on society. Programs feature scholars, scientists, ethicists, artists, medical professionals, and philosophers as guest speakers. For more information on this series, please visit www.prairie.org/genetics.

“Future Perfect” is funded in part by generous grants from the Motorola Foundation and The Boeing Company. Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ 91.5) and Illinois Channel are media sponsors for “Future Perfect.”

The Illinois Humanities Council is an educational organization dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Through its programs and grants, the IHC promotes greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. Organized as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1973, the IHC is now a private nonprofit (501 [c] 3) organization that is funded by contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations; by the Illinois General Assembly; and by the NEH.

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