# The Penn Postdoctoral Training Program in the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Genetics and Genomics

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $254,890

## Abstract

Rapid advances in genomic technologies such as next-generation sequencing are transforming
our understandings of both human health and human history. These technologies also promise
unprecedented power to intervene on the bodies of individuals with or at risk of disease, and
even to alter the identities or futures of individuals not yet born. Such knowledge and power
imply immense responsibility to use them in ways that promote core ethical values, including
individual and collective welfare, social justice, protection of the vulnerable, and respect for both
the autonomy of persons and the interests of communities. Fulfilling these responsibilities
requires a cadre of diverse, highly trained, interdisciplinary scholars prepared to engage
critically and respectfully with the profound ethical, legal and social challenges raised by genetic
and genomic technologies. Responding to this need, the fundamental goal of the Penn
Postdoctoral Training Program in the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of Genetics
and Genomics is to prepare trainees for success as creative, independent investigators in the
field of ELSI research. The program, housed within the Department of Medical Ethics and
Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine, will achieve this goal through two core
components: 1) completion of a Master of Science in Medical Ethics (MSME) degree that blends
training in conceptual bioethics, empirical methods and genetic science, and 2) mentored
original research leading to high-impact empirical and conceptual scholarly publications. An
outstanding program faculty, consisting of 12 experienced ELSI scholars and mentors from
departments at the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Arts and Sciences and the Penn
Law School, will serve as preceptors to program trainees. Trainees will present at and
participate in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy's monthly works-in-progress
and seminar series, attend a wide range of seminars and conferences across the University
focused on genetic medicine and science as well as on ethics, law, economics and health
policy, and present at national meetings. Trainees will also gain exposure to genetic medicine
through shadowing expert geneticists and counselors drawn from the full spectrum of adult,
pediatric and reproductive genetics practice. Finally, trainees will serve as members of one of
the UPenn institutional review boards (IRBs) that review ELSI-related research. The program
will train seven postdoctoral scholars, each of whom will participate for three years, and will
ensure diversity of discipline and background among enrolled trainees by extensive targeted
outreach to diverse academic communities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10129989
- **Project number:** 5T32HG009496-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Steven Joffe
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $254,890
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-06-07 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10129989

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10129989, The Penn Postdoctoral Training Program in the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Genetics and Genomics (5T32HG009496-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10129989. Licensed CC0.

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