Periodic Tables: "Your Genome: What do you want to know? And what don't you want to know?" with James P. Evans

Tickets are not required. Advanced ticket donations guarantee seating for the event; preferred seating will be reserved. Purchase Advance Tickets Here.

It has been just over a decade since the human genome was sequenced, and genomics is beginning to make its way into the most personal aspects of our lives. Genome sequencing creates the potential for parents to choose eggs and sperm to “design” their children or to ascertain at birth the life-time risk of developing such disorders as cancer, Alzheimer’s, or heart disease. Its application will have many benefits for disease prevention and personalizing medical treatment.  However, in a broader context, genomic analysis may eventually inform knowledge of behavioral traits, such as the proclivity for depression, religiosity, or anti-social behavior.

Some of these data will be helpful, most will be mysterious, and some will reveal information that many individuals may wish not to know. This session will be an open discussion to explore how genomics can contribute to society but also create new risks and challenges.

James P. Evans, MD, PhD, is the Bryson Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Medicine at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He directs Adult and Cancer Genetics Services and is clinically active in both Medical Genetics and General Medicine. Dr. Evans’ research interests focus primarily on the application of next generation genomic analytic technologies in Medicine and how genetic information is used and perceived. He has been extensively involved in discussing these issues both nationally and internationally. Click here for the flyer.