Bones, Genomics, and the Ethics of (In)visibility
Professor Watkin's research at American University focuses on the biological and social history of African Americans living in the 19th and 20th century urban US. She began this journey studying the health consequences of poverty and inequality through skeletal and documentary data analysis, with a focus on the W. Montague Cobb skeletal collection. This unique anatomical collection is made up of DC residents who died in the city between 1930 and 1969. There is extensive cultural information associated with the collection that makes it ideal for examining various biocultural interrelationships.
Daphne Martschenko - postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics
Dr. Martschenko received a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Cambridge in 2019. Daphne’s research identifies ethical, legal, and social considerations arising from genetics research and clinical practice and related policy recommendations to address these issues. Her work advocates for and facilitates cross-disciplinary research efforts that promote socially responsible communication of social science genomics research findings. Prior projects include an ‘adversarial collaborative’ effort with social science genomics researchers to explore recent developments in Genetics and Education (AERA Open, 2019) and guest editing a Special Issue devoted to the introduction of the biosocial sciences into Education (Research in Education, 2020).