12/9/2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Vence L. Bonham Jr.'s experience in working to end disparities in the nation's health care system has taken him to Washington, D.C., where he is serving a one-year appointment as a consultant with the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).
Bonham, an associate professor in the MSU Department of Medicine's Health Services Research Division, was recently appointed the NHGRI's senior consultant to the director on health disparities.
Bonham said he is providing guidance to NHGRI on issues related to the institute's role in reducing health disparities. He also is assisting in the development of outreach strategies to ensure the inclusion of all populations in NHGRI's programs.
"There are important and challenging issues related to genetics and population groups that we must recognize," he said. "I'm honored that I can assist the NHGRI as it addresses these issues so that the research and the future of genomic medicine benefits the health of all."
"Vence's experience at the NHGRI brings MSU right into the heart of defining the research agenda in this area at a critical point in the institute's growth," said Margaret Holmes-Rovner, section chief of the MSU Health Services Research Division. "Vence will introduce important ethical and legal perspectives, particularly in the area of decision making about genetic testing."
Bonham's research in health policy has focused on the ethical, legal and social issues related to genetics and race, and especially on the ways that race and socio-economic status result in health disparities among different communities.
Recently, Bonham was involved in the "Communities of Color and Genetics Policy Project," in which minority communities were engaged in conversations about genomic research and its resulting technology.
Earlier this year, Bonham was appointed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing. He also is a member of national advisory committees of several groups that focus on genetic education and outreach, including the March of Dimes Gene Project.
Bonham is a 1978 graduate of MSU's James Madison College. He earned a law degree from the Ohio State University College of Law in 1982.
He also holds appointments in MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences and the MSU-Detroit College of Law.