Background
There is currently an under-representation of people from communities from non-European ancestry within bio- and tissue- banks. Many government policy agendas are focussed on the future of healthcare being based around precision medicine and there is a risk that healthcare disparities stand to increase, resulting in inappropriate medication and therapies for diverse and underrepresented communities. This will be as a direct result of insufficient healthcare developments and poor understanding of genetic risk factors within diverse groups.
Genomics England have developed a programme of work to address Equity in Health Research. The aim of this initiative is to build a framework for publicly acceptable innovation and research practices with the voices of people from diverse communities at its heart.
Genomics England will be seeking insights and lived experience from a number of community groups and also a panel of professionals working in this field to determine the challenges, barriers and development of future strategies.
Breaking Down Barriers will be supporting Genomics England with the panel discussions and engagement workshops.
The role of the Equity in Health Research Panel
The role of the panel is to share knowledge and experiences to help guide a series of community workshops and to develop a Framework for Equity in Health Research.
The specific aims of the group are to:
- provide knowledge and experience of health inequalities, data collection engagement, consent, research governance, industry and international partnerships.
- review community workshop materials and provide feedback.
- review findings from community workshops and engagement activities and provide feedback and recommendations.
- contribute to the development of a Framework for Equity in Health Research.
Panel Meetings
Panel meetings have been held throughout April, May and June with some in-person workshops being held in May. A final workshop will be held in June to bring together both the community leaders and panel members to share experiences and discuss next steps.
Breaking Down Barriers will be providing the secretariat for the Equity in Health Research panel and supporting Genomics England in this vital work.
Please get in touch with Catherine Lewis, Operations Manager if you would like to know more about this work. You can contact her by email at catherine.lewis@alstrom.org.uk or call 07970 071675
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