The Stanford Training Program in ELSI Research - The Stanford Training Program in Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Research was established in 2004 as part of an NHGRI Center for Excellence in ELSI Research, and has been supported since 2016 by this T32 award. The overall goal of the program is to produce interdisciplinary researchers who can effectively identify and address the complex issues at the intersection of genetics, ethics, law, society and policy. Program: An interdisciplinary three-year postdoctoral program will train seven postdoctoral fellows, five of whom will have completed the program by the end of the five-year award period. Trainees: PhD and MD candidates will be recruited from a wide range of related disciplines, including genetics, biological sciences and engineering, medicine, computer and information sciences, philosophy, health services research, anthropology, and other social sciences. Mentors: We will continue to use a multiple mentorship model, tailored to individual trainee needs and interests. Trainees are assigned a primary mentor responsible for overall development of the trainee’s plans, and secondary mentors based on specific career, research methods, and topic area needs. Program Co-Directors: Mildred Cho, PhD, the current director of the research training program, will be joined by Meghan Halley, PhD as a Co-Director, bringing her experience in ELSI research mentoring and training. Program Faculty: Fellows have the opportunity to work with 13 Faculty from seven primary departments and centers, representing Schools of Medicine, Humanities and Sciences, Law, and Engineering who conduct ELSI-relevant research. Core Faculty members Mildred Cho, PhD, Meghan Halley, PhD, Holly Tabor, PhD, David Magnus, PhD, Hank Greely, JD and Hetanshi Naik, PhD, MS are experienced mentors in the program. Education Program: Our individualized training program for each trainee includes core courses in bioethics, and human genetics, elective courses, and program-specific ELSI seminars, providing rich interdisciplinary interaction with faculty and trainees from this and other training programs. Career development opportunities include practicum experience in research ethics and clinical ethics consultation, participation in an award- winning grant writing academy and the nationally-known Stanford Program on Research Rigor & Reproducibility. Research Program: Mentored research by trainees will bring together faculty from a wide range of disciplines to identify and address important and novel ELSI issues through empirical or normative research. Trainees have numerous opportunities to join ongoing projects while being encouraged to develop and implement their own long-term, independent research agenda. The program also supports career development through networking, presenting their research at professional meetings and publishing in peer-reviewed journals.
