Meet Our Researchers
Alicia Martin
Associated Scientist, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute
Instructor in Investigation, Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital
Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Alicia Martin wants to address the lack of diversity in genetic studies, which are heavily skewed toward people of European descent.
Project Description
European ancestry populations, which compose just 16 percent of the global population, make up about 80 percent of participants in genetic studies. Thus, research short-changes almost all other populations and misses vital insights into the genetics associated with human health and disease. Alicia wants to help remedy this bias by using her BroadIgnite grant to sequence more than 3,000 genomes from 14 countries spanning sub-Saharan Africa and to ensure the data is widely accessible.