York academic speaks at prestigious bio-ethics seminar.
Posted on 19 November 2014
Dr Kathryn Asbury was invited to the Hastings Center, New York to discuss responsible conduct of research on the genetics of intelligence (November 6th-7th).
Twelve speakers were each invited to give a talk and lead discussion between a small and diverse group of experts. Dr Asbury’s talk was entitled: Can (and should) education be personalised along genetic lines?
Co-sponsored by The Hastings Center and Columbia University, the workshop tackled issues such as whether Genome Wide Association Studies are likely to lead to genetic screening for intelligence and the ethical concerns associated with this line of research. The two-day meeting brought together geneticists, bioethicists, lawyers, medics and philosophers of science.
Speakers included
- Erik Parens and Mildred Solomon (Hastings Center)
- Paul Appelbaum (Columbia)
- Matt McGue and Eric Turkheimer (Minnesota and Virginia)
- Vence Bonham (US National Institutes of Health)
- Elaine Hansen (Centre for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins)
Dr Asbury said: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to take two days out of the hurly burly of everyday life to discuss what it actually is that reasonable people fear about genetic research, the assumptions that exist about those of us who pursue it, and how we can think about minimising risk should genetic screening for psychological traits ever become a realistic option.”
The group have agreed to collaborate on a report of their discussions which will be published in 2015.