with speakersÌýAnne Flanagin, RN, MA, FAAN,ÌýGenevieve Wojcik, PhD, MHS, and moderatorÌýAliya Saperstein, PhD.

As large-scale genomic data sets are increasingly linked, harmonized, and repurposed across studies, questions about how to meaningfully define and compare population descriptors have taken on renewed urgency. This panel brings together members of recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committees and a leading medical journal editor that have offered guidance surrounding the use of population labels in biomedical research. Panelists will explore the scientific and ethical implications of existing classification practices, the challenges of ensuring analytic rigor across studies that use heterogeneous descriptors, and the responsibilities of researchers, funders, and journals in advancing transparent, reproducible, and scientifically rigorous practices.

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This virtual Columbia Ethics Grand Rounds took place on May 13, 2025.

4:00—5:00pm ET

Roper Hall 6310 or via Zoom

Presented by Richard Sharp, Ph.D.
Lloyd A. and Barbara A. Amundson Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic
Director of the Biomedical Ethics Program, the Center for Individualized Medicine Bioethics Program, and the Clinical and Translational Research Ethics Program

While artificial intelligence appears ready to transform multiple aspects of healthcare, studies examining physician and patient opinions about digital-health tools have been limited. This presentation will explore physician and patient perspectives on the ethical issues raised by potential uses of AI in medicine, focusing on areas where doctor and patient perspectives may not be in alignment and could generate ethical tensions.

Dr. Sharp has published widely on topics in biomedical ethics and has led several projects exploring patient and clinician perspectives on emerging healthcare technologies. His presentation will focus on stakeholder perspectives on several applications of AI in healthcare, including in psychiatry and medical documentation. He will also discuss what leaders of Academic Medical Centers might do to proactively cultivate a culture of AI safety and ethical accountability.

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12:00—1:00pm ET

Virtual Presentation by Juliann Savatt, MS, CGC
Assistant Professor, Genomic Health, Geisinger Co-director, Geisinger MyCode Genomic Screening and Counseling Program

Currently, identification of individuals with genomic risk remains largely dependent on clinical testing that relies on a personal/family history of disease and access to specialty care. However, some patients with suggestive history do not come to clinical attention. Also, testing criteria are not adequately sensitive to identify all at-risk patients. Genomic screening offers a strategy to close the gap and identify more at-risk patients thus enabling increased surveillance, primary prevention, and early diagnoses.

Geisinger has over 10 years of experience screening and disclosing actionable genomic findings to biobank participants and has expanded genomic screening into clinical care through a primary care pilot. This presentation will summarize these experiences to date including the rate of pathogenic/likely pathogenic results, clinical care and outcomes following results disclosure, and patient and clinician perspectives.

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Join us for our launch session on March 28, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET, for a discussion of . Genetics in Medicine, with speakers:

• Featured Author:ÌýYvonne Bombard, PhD, Professor & Canada Research Chair, University of Toronto & Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto
• ¶Ù¾±²õ³¦³Ü²õ²õ²¹²Ô³Ù:ÌýJonathan Sanford Berg, MD,Ìý±Ê³ó¶Ù,ÌýBryson Distinguished Professor, Genetics and Medicine, ´óÏó´«Ã½.

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Hosted by The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine

, a Variant Assessment Scientist at Ambry Genetics

Date: Friday, March 7, 2025

Time: 12:00 pm EST

Register here for the Zoom link:

CEU Credits for Genetic Counselors: Each event in this series has been approved by NSGC for 0.1 Category 1 CEUs for a total of up to 0.9 CEUs

If you’re interested in learning more about ELSI, check out these resources for GCs from ELSIhub | CERA:

Visit this link for more information:

• John Conley, JD, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law
• Eva Winkler, Prof, Dr.med., Dr.phil., Section for Translational Medical Ethics,ÌýNational Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg
  
• Moderated by Philip J. Brooks, PhD, Division of Rare Diseases Research Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
  

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• Faith Fletcher, PhD, MA,ÌýCenter for Medical Ethics & Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine
• Debra Matthews, PhD, MA,ÌýJohns Hopkins Berman Institute of BioethicsÌý
• Moderated byÌýJim Tabery, PhD, MA,ÌýCenter for Health Ethics, Arts, and the Humanities, University of UtahÌý

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Time: 12:00pm—1:00pm

Place: Roper Hall 6310

Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees.

Please register to attend.

Presented by Rami M. Major, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow in the ELSI of Precision Medicine and Other Biotechnologies

Neurodevelopmental diseases (NDDs) are notoriously difficult to treat because clinical symptoms stem from developmental processes that begin before birth. Prenatal gene editing could fill the treatment gap for NDDS by targeting and permanently correcting the genetic variants that underlie these pathogenic developmental processes. We used the 60-year history of in utero therapy to identify 12 themes from the literature that could set precedents for prenatal gene editing interventions and discuss these in the context of NDDs.