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Hennerieta Lack

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This summer i started to work as clinical research coordinator job at a prestigious hospital of New York City. I was very thrilled and was looking forward to be part of some exciting research projects in medicine. The main project was a big initiative focused on building a registry with patients with IBD. The purpose of our study was to collect human specimens from patient who have the proper diagnosis as well as from healthy control. Being born and raised in another country I am self conscious that my exposure to American history and culture are limited and I try to catch up as much as I can. Although the story of Hennerieta Lacks is taught in the US early in academic curriculum, I was introduced to this name just recently. "Does this means I will be like Hennerieta Lacks?" said one of my patients as he was hesitant of signing the consent form. I gave him a polite smile, while I was not able to understand his comment. At that moment I didn't give it much though and I moved one to my daily routine. Until days later another patient mentioned how this reminded him of the hennerieta lacks story and how he might be "cloned too". Now I felt compelled to find out more about these common references I was receiving from my patients. I …show more content…

Despite the advancement in research and the frequency of utilization of genetic tests, and a more comprehensive understanding of genomics there is still concerns and intimidation about what the future might bring. In the registry I am currently working the samples we collect get stored indefinitely. My worry is that if a scandal breaks. That the patients will call to withdraw so their cells are destroyed. The is easier on a patient who is used as control rather than a patient with IBD whose life expentacy is effected by the disease. But lets think about a cancer patient who passed away from the disease.Their families have no say into either to store or destry the

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