Trust, Ethics and Diversity in Healthcare - An Evening of Discussion Inspired by Henrietta Lacks

We are excited to host an evening of discussion inspired by the story of Henrietta Lacks. Join us for a conversation about healthcare research, ethics consent and patient trust guided by Nana Mensah and Diksha Srivastava.  This will be a hybrid event, where people can join in person or online (link to be sent closer to the event).

Henrietta Lacks' cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951 during her treatment for cancer. Her cells, known as HeLa, were the first human cells grown in culture and became one of the most important tools in medicine. These cells have been used in research into the polio vaccine, and into the effects of atomic warfare; they were shot into space and used in AIDS research, but she remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. For decades after her death, doctors and scientists repeatedly failed to ask her family for consent as they revealed Lacks’s name publicly, gave her medical records to the media, and even published her cells’ genome online. Henrietta's story is told by Rebecca Skloot in  the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” a summary of which can be found here.

Our Guides

Nana E. Mensah is a graduate student at the Francis Crick Institute and University College London. His research focuses on developing computational tools to better understand how DNA changes as cancer cells progress. In 2020, Nana completed the NHS Scientist Training programme in Clinical Bioinformatics, where he supported rare disease diagnostics at Guy's Hospital and developed a reanalysis tool for unresolved 100,000 genomes cases. His experiences with clinical genomic data motivated him to write about the problem of health equity in genomics.

Diksha Srivastava is the Policy Lead for the Diverse Data initiative at Genomics England, focusing on the strategy and impact evaluation of the programme, and fostering relationships with key stakeholders working in the genomic data diversity ecosystem. In 2019, Diksha completed her MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where her research focused on the intersections of age, race, and gender and the health adversities faced by marginalized communities, especially in relation to palliative and end-of-life care delivery. Since then, Diksha has worked in the social impact world, launching and implementing campaigns pertaining to climate solutions in central and eastern Europe.

Where

In Person: Genomics England, 12 Carthusian St, Barbican, London EC1M 6EB 

Online: Link to be sent closer to the date.

If attending this event in person, please do a lateral flow test in advance of attending.