Looking to learn about the perspectives of Native American tribes and individuals and the often complex relationship they have with genetics research? pgEd highly recommends the in-depth, thought-provoking, and extensive set of materials developed by The American Indian and Alaska Native Genetics Resource Center, which is a project of the National Congress of Native Americans and supported in part by the NHGRI. From their website, they explain, “This resource guide was developed to help American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribal leaders and community members make informed decisions about genetics research participation.”
Of note for educators, do not miss “Cases of How Tribes are Relating to Genetic Research” by Náníbaa’ A. Garrison (Navajo), Ph.D. For example “Havasupai Tribe and lawsuit settlement aftermath” goes beyond the news stories and tackles informed consent and migration research. The discussion questions are very engaging. The section for researchers looking to potentially partner with American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities looks to be an incredibly valuable tool for scientists and research institutions as well.