Thinking Outside the Box: Navigating Ethnicity in Genomic Medicine  

A panel discussion with experts from across healthcare and policy landscapes explored how ethnicity is currently approached in genomic medicine and how it might be reimagined for the future.  

Within NHS England’s Genomic Medicine Service, patient identity information is currently documented using ‘ethnicity’ categories, which largely reflect geopolitical classifications. These categories often do not capture the sociocultural, historical, and biological dimensions of one’s identity that may be relevant to medical investigations.  

The panel reflected and responded to a set of co-created, forward-looking questions developed during a participatory workshop held earlier in the day with patient support groups and representatives.   

Panellists:

Maxine Mackintosh – Co-Founder, One HealthTech & Data Science for Health Equity 

Zeshan Qureshi – Paediatrician and Philosopher of Science researching anti-racist medicine

Elizabeth Young – Senior Principal Clinical Scientist, West Midlands Genomics Laboratory

Anneke Lucassen (chair) – CPM Director and Professor of Genomic Medicine