DNA Biobanking In Olmsted County, A Deliberative Community Engagement

Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in our community engagement on DNA biobanking in Olmsted County.

This event is run by the Bioethics research program at Mayo Clinic in collaboration with the Center for Applied Ethics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

The purpose is to help people at Mayo Clinic develop the best possible policies about DNA research. To do this, we will be conducting a discussion about the collection, storage and use of human blood samples, DNA, and health information for research purposes. The technical term is "DNA biobanking," which means storing people's blood samples to allow for studies of what causes disease, how best to treat it, or of things that keep people healthy. It is an important area of medical research today, but we don't yet know what concerns people might have. That's why we are interested in talking with people from the community to get their views.

Your willingness to listen, discuss, and share your thoughts and perspectives will help us generate useful policy advice and shape DNA biobanking plans at Mayo Clinic. No previous information or knowledge about this issue is needed.

What the Community Engagement event involves:

This discussion will involve 25 members of the Olmsted County community, including people of all ages and from many backgrounds. It will take place over two weekends in September, 2007. We expect no prior knowledge of the subject; however, there are background readings available throughout the web. We ask you simply to bring a willingness to listen, discuss, and share your thoughts and perspectives. We hope you will help us generate useful policy advice.

How do you find out more?

On this website you will find on the right margin an introduction to biobanking, information on the purpose of biobanks, and information on a deliberative community engagement. You can also view the participant information booklet and a range of background readings to help you prepare for the event.

Many thanks, and we look forward to meeting you on Saturday, September 15.

The Project Team