Ethical Issues in the Dissemination of Genomic Science: Perspectives from Genetics in Medicine

International collaborations have long been an important element of genomic science. In recent years, however,  a number of factors have driven remarkable growth in global collaboration: the growth of information technologies, an increased emphasis on large cohorts with diverse representation, and rare disease therapeutics advances, just to name a few. With this shifting scope, work to address ethical challenges created by international collaboration has become an increasingly important part of the genomic science landscape. Nowhere are these challenges more pressing than in the work of scientific journals. While regulators, funders, and individual institutions tend to focus on issues specific to their setting, scientific journals encounter these issues on a truly broad, comprehensive, and international scale, serving as the final common pathway for a remarkable array of scientific techniques and strategies, varieties of collaborations, and regulatory jurisdictions. Scientific journals thus serve as critical stakeholders in ensuring that ethical considerations have been addressed prior to dissemination. In this session, Dr. Kyle Brothers, chair of the Ethics Advisory Committee for Genetics in Medicine, will examine the ethical issues raised by international collaboration in genomic science, with a focus on helping journals adopt practices that ensure published science has been conducted in a manner that protects the rights and welfare of research participants.