Open AccessBeyond inclusion: Enacting team equity in precision medicine research
Author(s) -
Melanie Jeske,
Elizabeth Vásquez,
Stephanie M. Fullerton,
Aliya Saperstein,
Michael L. Bentz,
Nicole Foti,
Janet K. Shim,
Sandra SooJin Lee
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0263750
Subject(s) - workforce , diversification (marketing strategy) , equity (law) , public relations , common ground , medical education , knowledge management , business , medicine , political science , sociology , marketing , computer science , communication , law
Purpose To identify meanings of and challenges to enacting equitable diversification of genomics research, and specifically precision medicine research (PMR), teams. Methods We conducted in-depth interviews with 102 individuals involved in three U.S.-based precision medicine research consortia and conducted over 400 observation hours of their working group meetings, consortium-wide meetings, and conference presentations. We also reviewed published reports on genomic workforce diversity (WFD), particularly those relevant to the PMR community. Results Our study finds that many PMR teams encounter challenges as they strive to achieve equitable diversification on scientific teams. Interviewees articulated that underrepresented team members were often hired to increase the study’s capacity to recruit diverse research participants, but are limited to on-the-ground staff positions with little influence over study design. We find existing hierarchies and power structures in the academic research ecosystem compound challenges for equitable diversification. Conclusion Our results suggest that meaningful diversification of PMR teams will only be possible when team equity is prioritized as a core value in academic research communities.