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Solving Crimes While Protecting Genetic Privacy

Solving Crimes While Protecting Genetic Privacy

  • September 19, 2023 //
  • 2:10 pm -
  • 3:30 pm //
  • Hyatt Regency at the Colorado Convention Center, Centennial Ballroom

It has been nearly 40 years since DNA evidence became available to forensic investigators, and more than 800 cases have been solved with the help of forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG) over the past 5 years. What have we learned, what are the risks and protections to consider, and what can we expect for the future?

 

This panel, moderated by Amy McGuire, JD, PhD, brings together experts from diverse disciplines to discuss various aspects of genetic privacy impacting the forensic DNA community. The first panelist, Ray Wickenheiser, DPS, will provide an overview of current procedures used to investigate crime using forensic DNA and discuss their privacy implications, including discarded DNA samples and application of employee databases and elimination samples. The next two panelists will describe different approaches for addressing privacy consideration. Bruce Budowle, PhD, will explore how informed consent practices can improved to respect autonomy and address privacy concerns of non-suspect individuals whose DNA is implicated in an investigation. David Gurney, JD, PhD, will examine state laws and proposed bills that attempt to address privacy concerns related to the use of FIGG, some of which regulate FIGG directly and others that have indirect—and presumably unintentional—effects on FIGG. Finally, Christi Guerrini, JD, MPH, will present data from an NIH-funded study of public preferences related to FIGG. She will report results from a survey with 1000 respondents to understand public acceptability of various applications of FIGG and its potential oversight, as well as relative preferences for features of FIGG practice associated with trade-offs between individual interests in privacy and societal interests in public safety and justice.

It has been nearly 40 years since DNA evidence became available to forensic investigators, and more than 800 cases have been solved with the help of forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG) over the past 5 years. What have we learned, what are the risks and protections to consider, and what can we expect for the future?

 

This panel, moderated by Amy McGuire, JD, PhD, brings together experts from diverse disciplines to discuss various aspects of genetic privacy impacting the forensic DNA community. The first panelist, Ray Wickenheiser, DPS, will provide an overview of current procedures used to investigate crime using forensic DNA and discuss their privacy implications, including discarded DNA samples and application of employee databases and elimination samples. The next two panelists will describe different approaches for addressing privacy consideration. Bruce Budowle, PhD, will explore how informed consent practices can improved to respect autonomy and address privacy concerns of non-suspect individuals whose DNA is implicated in an investigation. David Gurney, JD, PhD, will examine state laws and proposed bills that attempt to address privacy concerns related to the use of FIGG, some of which regulate FIGG directly and others that have indirect—and presumably unintentional—effects on FIGG. Finally, Christi Guerrini, JD, MPH, will present data from an NIH-funded study of public preferences related to FIGG. She will report results from a survey with 1000 respondents to understand public acceptability of various applications of FIGG and its potential oversight, as well as relative preferences for features of FIGG practice associated with trade-offs between individual interests in privacy and societal interests in public safety and justice.

  • Early Registration
  • $250.00
  • Standard Registration (after July 15)
  • $295.00
  • Student Registration$195.00
  • $195.00

Workshop currently at capacity. A waitlist is available to join on our registration page.

Brought to you by

Worldwide Association of Women Forensic Experts

Chair

Amy McGuire

Director, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine

Amy McGuire, J.D., Ph.D., is the Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. She researches ethical and policy issues related to emerging technologies and innovative therapeutics, with a particular focus on genetics and genomics, neuropsychology, and the clinical integration of novel neurological devices.

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Bruce Budowle

Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki and Forensic Science Institute, Radford University

Dr. Budowle's current efforts focus on the areas of human forensic identification, microbial forensics, human trafficking, and emerging infectious disease with substantial effort in next generation sequencing. He is a Commissioner on the Texas Forensic Science Commission.

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Christi Guerrini

Assistant Professor, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy | Director of the Health Policy Pathway, Baylor College of Medicine

Christi Guerrini is Assistant Professor in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, and Director of the Health Policy Pathway, at Baylor College of Medicine. At BCM, she conducts research focused on the ethical, legal, and social implications of genetic technologies, including investigative genetic genealogy, with the goal of informing policy. 

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David Gurney

Assistant Professor of Law & Society and Director of the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center, Ramapo College

Dr. David Gurney, JD/PhD is an assistant professor of Law & Society and Director of the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center at Ramapo College. He is president of the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Accreditation Board and a board member of the Forensic Genealogy Special Interest Group of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

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Ray Wickenheiser

Retired Director for the New York State Police Crime Lab System

Dr. Ray Wickenheiser, is the retired Director of the New York State Police Crime Laboratory System, formerly headquartered in Albany, New York.  Ray is now located in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he provides forensic consulting and training. His areas of expertise include crime lab administration, quality management, conflict resolution, forensic DNA and mixture interpretation, serology, hair and fiber trace evidence, physical matching and comparison, glass fracture analysis, forensic grain comparison and forensic investigative genetic genealogy. 

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