Active participation of indigenous peoples in precision medicine

Pigozzi, Cecilia

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/105519 Copy

Description

Title

Active participation of indigenous peoples in precision medicine

Author(s)

Pigozzi, Cecilia

Issue Date

2019

Department of Study

Anthropology

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• Anthropology
• Human Genomics
• Precision Medicine
• Native American
• Māori

Language

en

Abstract

"My investigation is on the incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge in precision medicine—particularly in the field of human genomics. Precision medicine is defined by the NIH as ""an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person."" Unfortunately, the precision medicine field has racist history and continues harmful academic discourse that has caused and continues to cause a great deal of mistrust in Indigenous communities and Indigenous scholars, particularly in the field of human genomics. This review addresses this history along with what Indigenous Knowledge is and what it is not, how it differs and is similar from traditional (White, Western European) academic inquiry, and how it may complement health research. This includes ongoing efforts of active Indigenous participation in the field of genomics. This active participation and creative applications of Indigenous Knowledge attempts so without appropriation and with respectful reflexivity of the past, present, and future sociopolitical relationships within science. This review will not cover all Indigenous perspectives, because such an undertaking would be impossible within the scope of this paper. There are hundreds of tribes, clans, and individuals represented in the small group of Natives who are in academia, and Indigenous perspectives aren’t limited to academic contexts. This review is written by a non-Indigenous author, who is simply collecting a multitude of Indigenous voices in literature and as a former undergraduate member of Dr. Ripan Malhi’s Laboratory (who is a member of the SING Consortium), and therefore does not speak for, but with Indigenous voices. With such limitations is a call for more inclusion and diversity of such voices in this discussion and the decolonization of the power structures present in science, which as the author is non-Indigenous, cannot be done without the help of her Indigenous peers, mentors, and future colleagues."

Type of Resource

text

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/105519

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2019 Cecilia Pigozzi

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