Facing our History – Building an Equitable Future
In December 2021, ASHG initiated a year-long effort to document and reckon with experiences of past injustice, as well as progress toward justice, in the human genetics research field and the Society. With this important step, the Society sought to underscore its commitment to greater diversity, equity and inclusion as a vital element of ASHG’s vision that people everywhere realize the benefits of human genetics and genomics research. The initiative was undertaken with input from an expert panel of human geneticists, historians, clinician-scientists, equity scholars and social scientists who reviewed findings, convened a community dialogue and produced a final report, issued in January 2023, outlining findings and providing insights that can shape future priorities.
The Board of Directors released the report with a statement and report acknowledging and apologizing for past harms and outlining near- and longer-term steps it would take to address findings.