Historical Perspectives on Henrietta Lacks (Session)
On-Demand Video
This presentation was a part of the SOCS Meeting The Challenge Summit: Diversity in Dermatology Clinical Trials held on June 10-11, 2022 in Washington, DC. The length of the course is 45 minutes.
DAVID LACKS, JR. is the grandson of Henrietta Lacks and the son of David “Sonny” Lacks. David has a degree in computer information systems and has traveled around the United States and Canada setting up computer systems and labs for companies and educational institutions. He also lends his talent to the Lacks family’s website. David is honored to serve on the National Institutes of Health panel, where he reviews proposals from researchers seeking to use the HeLa genome in their research.
VERONICA ROBINSON is Henrietta Lacks’ great-granddaughter. Veronica is a patient rights advocate who speaks on Henrietta Lacks’ legacy, their family’s experience in biomedical research, impact on participation, and ethics in this modern era of precision medicine. Veronica travels the country sharing the Lacks Family’s efforts to control their medical history and rebuild trust with the medical community, subjects she was honored to speak about in a 2018 TEDx Talk. Working with the National Institutes of Health, Veronica serves as both an All of US Ambassador, advocating for access to precision medicine; and a Lacks Family Representative on the HeLa Genome Data Access Working Group. As a mentor for Baltimore City Public Schools, Veronica is committed to empowering the next generation. Inspired by Henrietta’s story, Veronica is currently studying at Baltimore City Community College to become a registered nurse to help make certain all people can access equitable and high-quality health care.