Centers of excellence in ELSI Research (CEER)
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2004 funded four
interdisciplinary centers as part of a new initiative to address
some of the most pressing ethical, legal and social questions
raised by recent advances in genetic and genomic research.
The initiative, the Centers for Excellence in Ethical, Legal
and Social Implications Research, is being led by NHGRI, with
significant contributions from the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD). The first four Centers are being established at Case
Western Reserve University, Cleveland; Duke University, Durham,
N.C.; Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.; and the University
of Washington, Seattle.
Each of the new centers will assemble a team of experts in
several disciplines, such as bioethics, law, behavioral and
social sciences, clinical research, theology, public policy,
and genetic and genomic research. The interdisciplinary nature
of these teams will allow the centers to develop innovative
research approaches focused on specific sets of issues that
relate to the numerous applications of genomic research//. The
centers' output will be critical in formulating and implementing
effective and equitable health and social policies related to
genomic research. In addition, the centers will create new environments
to support the growth of the next generation of researchers
on the ethical, legal and social implications of genomic research.
Special efforts will be made to recruit potential researchers
from under-represented groups.
NHGRI's ELSI Research Program was established in 1990 as an
integral part of the Human Genome Project to foster basic and
applied research and to support education and outreach activities.
The program, which is part of NHGRI's Division of Extramural
Research, funds and manages studies related to the ethical,
legal and social implications of genetic and genomic research,
and also supports workshops, research consortia and policy conferences
related to such topics. The ELSI Research Program is the largest
sponsor of research on the ethical, legal and social aspects
of biomedicine in the world.
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