Duration
08 Sep 2013 - 12 Sep 2013
The 3 ½ day conference will include invited speakers, proffered papers, webcasting and a workshp. Anthropologists study both past and contemporary human population biological and genetic variation that is relevant to the research development and clinical applications of pharmacogenomic and personalized medicine. An examination of issues of genetic ancestry, race and racism, genetic and social epidemiology, health disparities and healthcare inequality, and the interface of traditional medicine with new biomedical technologies, are some of the critical areas to be covered in this interdisciplinary conference that includes both clinicians (diabetologists, oncologists, others) and researchers from biomedicine and anthropology. A perusal of conferences on personalized medicine held during 2011-2012 clearly reveals that our conference fills a niche that was not present. In addition, the dissemination of our conference lectures and program activities by webinar, ISI publications, curriculum development and impact monitoring using the Becker Model will provide valuable, and currently missing, evolutionary and contemporary anthropological perspectives. These range from cross-cultural ethics to identity clarification (race/ethnicity/national origins), specifically relevant during the recruitment process of clinical trials. An anthropological approach will contribute toward achieving the goals of personalized medicine to provide a correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment to the individual patient.