EP 137: Mavis Machirori on promoting equity, diversity, and social justice in genomics research

Join us in welcoming Mavis Machirori, Senior Researcher at the Ada Lovelace Institute and co-founder of Genetics Engage (https://www.geneticsengage.org/)! With over 10 years of clinical experience as a midwife, Mavis is dedicated to promoting social justice in healthcare. Her research focuses on the impact of new healthcare technologies on social inequalities. Passionate about equity in data and genomics, she addresses the broader societal impacts of these advancements. Mavis was a guest on our Participant Diversity webinar in 2020, and we are thrilled to have her back on The Genetics Podcast at Sano!

0:00 Intro

1:30 Mavis’ career arc, from starting as a midwife to researching medical innovation and technology with an emphasis on advocacy and equity

7:00 Systemic issues that are easily overlooked in medical research and advancements

Webinar: Participant Diversity: Increasing the Impact of Biomedical Research Webinar

10:00 Addressing Eurocentricity in genetics research

14:30 Creating a playbook for community- and equity-centred research practices

18:30 Groups in the US and the UK that promote community-driven research

Reference Guide: Closing the gap in patient data for black and south Asian communities

21:30 Mavis’ 2022 publication in Nature Reviews Genomics

Paper: Unpacking race and ethnicity in African genomics research

27:30 Contemplating the design of a genomics research project in Zimbabwe

29:00 How researchers can best elucidate the full value of cultural, ethnic, and racial differences in genomics studies

Reference paper: Conflating race and ancestry: Tracing
decision points about population descriptors over the precision medicine research life course

35:30 Setting a mission to provide genomics research for the world

40:00 Mavis’ current work and what she’s excited to pursue in the future

42:00 Closing remarks

Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform!