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…