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The University of Southampton
Clinical Ethics, Law and Society

Professor Anneke Lucassen awarded £1.2million Wellcome collaborative award in social science and ethics

Published: 27 November 2017
Prof Anneke Lucassen
Prof Anneke Lucassen

This prestigious £1.2 million grant has been awarded to Prof Anneke Lucassen, Professor of Clinical Genetics and co-lead CELS, for a five year programme of research with Prof Bobbie Farsides, Professor of Clinical and Biomedical Ethics, University of Sussex, Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

Title of the award : Facilitating Ethical Preparedness in Genomic Medicine

The research builds on a Wellcome trust seed grant, as well as research at BSMS, to develop and deliver empirical and conceptual bioethics research as genomic medicine moves from a small speciality setting to mainstream medical practice within the national health service. It will examine the preparedness to engage with transformational work within the health service, and explore what adaptations might need to be made as genomic medicine and associated digital data developments highlight novel practices or approaches.  We build on previous research looking at the experience of health care professionals and scientists working in ethically contested fields.  “This south coast collaboration between CELS and Prof Farsides’ group promises to be very productive” said Anneke, “we have already set the ground work for a fantastic collaboration, with several joint publications from our preliminary work”.

There are several new posts associated with this award, from doctoral studentships to senior research fellows. Watch out for tweets from EPPiGen- The ethical preparedness project in genetics and genomics ( @eppigen ) or here @cels_uos for more details

Summary of research :

We will conduct our research as genomic approaches to diagnosis and treatment, such as the 100,000 genome project, become embedded within health care and focus on the extent to which professionals are prepared for navigating the complex issues within the new working environment of clinical genomics; one where research and clinical practice are more co-dependent than in the past, and where responsibilities of care, both to one person over time as well as to their current and future relatives are changing. The programme will utilise a range of research methods across a variety of settings to map the experience of practitioners, patients and participants in genomic medicine, the ethical issues they confront, and the impact on practice when these are challenging of their established practice, be that at the stage of recruitment/ introduction, diagnosis (or lack of), treatment, surveillance, longer term contact or need for contact of others.

Wellcome Collaborative Awards promote the development of new ideas and bring disciplines together to speed the pace of discovery. This scheme funds teams who are tackling major health-related questions in the humanities and social sciences that require a collaborative approach.

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