Vence L. Bonham Jr.

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Vence L. Bonham Jr.
Vence Bonham Jr JD.png
Education Michigan State University (BA)
Ohio State University (JD)

Vence L. Bonham Jr. is an American lawyer who is the acting Deputy Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the U. S. National Institutes of Health, and is the leader of the NHGRI Health Disparities Unit. His research focuses on social determinants of health, particularly with regard to the social implications of new genomic knowledge and technologies. [1]

Contents

Education and career

Bonham earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University in 1978. [2] He taught middle school history and social studies before earning his Juris Doctor degree from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1982. [2] His mother was a school social worker and his father was a science teacher. He began his career in healthcare law and then obtained a Health Services Research Fellowship from the American Association of Medical Colleges. Mr. Bonham then taught health policy and bioethics to medical students at Michigan State for a number of years before starting at the NHGRI in 2002. [3] He is a member of the NIH Tribal Health Research Coordinating Committee (THRCC). [4]

Research

Health policy

Bonham has contributed to guidelines highlighting issues such as maintaining a focus on improving health, striving for global diversity, maximizing the usability of genomics for the general public, and promoting robust and consistent standards for genomic research. [5] [6] His ongoing work addresses the balance of scientific progress and ethical and equitable treatment of persons.

Genomics and health disparities

As director of the Health Disparities Unit at NHGRI, Bonham leads a team that aims to achieve health equity in the context of genomic medicine, where genomic knowledge, access to genomic services (testing and counseling), and unbiased implementation of genomic medicine are accessible and applied globally and fairly across all populations. [7]

He has organized and advocated for the development of improved laws surrounding the application of genomics in a clinical setting and precision medicine to better serve underrepresented communities. [8] Bonham and colleagues have developed three scales in an attempt to assess the knowledge and perception of race and human variation by clinicians. [9] These scales are: Genetic Variation Knowledge Assessment Index–GKAI, Health Professionals Beliefs about Race—HPBR, and Racial Attributes in Clinical Evaluation—RACE.

Sickle cell disease

Bonham has published on the treatment, screening, and study of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and is an expert on the history and emerging science regarding this condition. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] In his role at the NHGRI, he leads the INSIGHTS program (The Insights into Microbiome and Environmental Contributions to Sickle Cell Disease and Leg Ulcers Study), a longitudinal interdisciplinary study exploring sickle cell disease in adults that covers genomic, microbial, physical, and social influences. [17] He sees SCD as a condition that highlights and demonstrates healthcare disparities "where the outcomes and the experiences are evidence of not getting the necessary treatments and focus historically." [3] This makes SCD an important disease to study through the lenses of healthcare equity and justice. [18] [19] [20] [21] With Lisa E. Smilan, he wrote an article for the North Carolina Law Review in 2019 regarding the legal and ethical considerations of somatic gene editing in sickle cell disease. [22]

Bonham and his research group are moving forward with the World Health Organization and investigators in Sierra Leone to study adults with SCD, to increase utilization of newborn screening, and to address the ethical and logistical considerations of curative therapies in a developing country. [23]

Ethics of genome-editing

With the emergence of gene editing technologies such as CRISPR, Bonham has emphasized that SCD is a critical example of the value of respect for persons, fairness, and worldwide collaboration as genomic technology continues to evolve. [23] Clinical trials for one of the first attempts in somatic cell genome editing using CRISPR technology are for the treatment of sickle cell disease. he and his colleagues have published multiple peer-reviewed studies identifying gaps in knowledge of trial participants that could prevent them from giving adequately informed consent. [24] [25] [14] He highlights the importance of engaging with the SCD patient community with regard to scientific developments in treatment and management of the disease and prioritizing their protection and equitable care. [26] [23]

Personal life

Bonham and his wife live in Bethesda, MD and have two sons. He considers himself an art lover and has his own collection of primarily African American art. [3]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Vence L. Bonham, Jr., J.D." Genome.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  2. 1 2 "MSU'S BONHAM APPOINTED TO KEY POST AT NATIONAL HUMAN GENOME RESEARCH INSTITUTE". MSUToday | Michigan State University. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  3. 1 2 3 "Speaker Spotlight: Vence Bonham". Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI). 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  4. ↑ "NIH Tribal Health Research Coordinating Committee (THRCC) | DPCPSI". dpcpsi.nih.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  5. ↑ Green, Eric D.; Gunter, Chris; Biesecker, Leslie G.; Di Francesco, Valentina; Easter, Carla L.; Feingold, Elise A.; Felsenfeld, Adam L.; Kaufman, David J.; Ostrander, Elaine A.; Pavan, William J.; Phillippy, Adam M. (2020-10-29). "Strategic vision for improving human health at The Forefront of Genomics". Nature. 586 (7831): 683–692. Bibcode:2020Natur.586..683G. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2817-4 . ISSN   0028-0836. PMC   7869889 . PMID   33116284.
  6. ↑ Bonham, Vence L.; Green, Eric D. (January 2021). "The genomics workforce must become more diverse: a strategic imperative". The American Journal of Human Genetics. 108 (1): 3–7. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2020.12.013. PMC   7820786 . PMID   33417888.
  7. ↑ Jooma, Sonya; Hahn, Michael J.; Hindorff, Lucia A.; Bonham, Vence L. (2019-02-21). "Defining and Achieving Health Equity in Genomic Medicine". Ethnicity & Disease. 29 (Suppl 1): 173–178. doi:10.18865/ed.29.S1.173 (inactive 2024-08-05). ISSN   1945-0826. PMC   6428182 . PMID   30906166.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of August 2024 (link)
  8. ↑ Wolf, Susan M.; Bonham, Vence L.; Bruce, Marino A. (2019-12-12). "How Can Law Support Development of Genomics and Precision Medicine to Advance Health Equity and Reduce Disparities?". Ethnicity & Disease. 29 (Supp): 623–628. doi:10.18865/ed.29.S3.623 (inactive 2024-08-05). ISSN   1945-0826. PMC   6919974 . PMID   31889767.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of August 2024 (link)
  9. ↑ Bonham, Vence L.; Sellers, Sherrill L.; Woolford, Sam (2014-10-02). "Physicians' knowledge, beliefs, and use of race and human genetic variation: new measures and insights". BMC Health Services Research. 14 (1): 456. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-14-456 . ISSN   1472-6963. PMC   4283084 . PMID   25277068.
  10. ↑ Todd, Knox H.; Green, Carmen; Bonham, Vence L.; Haywood, Carlton; Ivy, Evera (July 2006). "Sickle cell disease related pain: crisis and conflict". The Journal of Pain. 7 (7): 453–458. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2006.05.004 . ISSN   1526-5900. PMID   16814684.
  11. ↑ Bonham, Vence L.; Haywood, Carlton; Gamble, Vanessa Northington (January 2007), "Sickle Cell Disease: The Past, Present and Future Social and Ethical Dilemmas", Renaissance of Sickle Cell Disease Research in the Genome Era, PUBLISHED BY IMPERIAL COLLEGE PRESS AND DISTRIBUTED BY WORLD SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING CO., pp. 311–323, doi:10.1142/9781860947964_0019, ISBN   978-1-86094-645-5 , retrieved 2021-02-15
  12. ↑ Bonham, Vence L.; Dover, George J.; Brody, Lawrence C. (2010-09-09). "Screening student athletes for sickle cell trait--a social and clinical experiment". The New England Journal of Medicine. 363 (11): 997–999. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1007639. ISSN   1533-4406. PMID   20825310.
  13. ↑ Goldsmith, Jonathan C.; Bonham, Vence L.; Joiner, Clinton H.; Kato, Gregory J.; Noonan, Allan S.; Steinberg, Martin H. (March 2012). "Framing the research agenda for sickle cell trait: building on the current understanding of clinical events and their potential implications". American Journal of Hematology. 87 (3): 340–346. doi:10.1002/ajh.22271. ISSN   1096-8652. PMC   3513289 . PMID   22307997.
  14. 1 2 Persaud, Anitra; Desine, Stacy; Blizinsky, Katherine; Bonham, Vence L. (August 2019). "A CRISPR focus on attitudes and beliefs toward somatic genome editing from stakeholders within the sickle cell disease community". Genetics in Medicine. 21 (8): 1726–1734. doi:10.1038/s41436-018-0409-6. ISSN   1530-0366. PMC   6606394 . PMID   30581191.
  15. ↑ Naik, Rakhi P.; Smith-Whitley, Kim; Hassell, Kathryn L.; Umeh, Nkeiruka I.; de Montalembert, Mariane; Sahota, Puneet; Haywood, Carlton; Jenkins, Jean; Lloyd-Puryear, Michele A.; Joiner, Clinton H.; Bonham, Vence L. (6 November 2018). "Clinical Outcomes Associated With Sickle Cell Trait: A Systematic Review". Annals of Internal Medicine. 169 (9): 619–627. doi:10.7326/M18-1161. ISSN   1539-3704. PMC   6487193 . PMID   30383109.
  16. ↑ Bonham, Vence L.; Haywood, Carlton; Gamble, Vanessa Northington (January 2007), "Sickle Cell Disease: The Past, Present and Future Social and Ethical Dilemmas", Renaissance of Sickle Cell Disease Research in the Genome Era, PUBLISHED BY IMPERIAL COLLEGE PRESS AND DISTRIBUTED BY WORLD SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING CO., pp. 311–323, doi:10.1142/9781860947964_0019, ISBN   978-1-86094-645-5 , retrieved 2021-02-12
  17. ↑ "INSIGHTS Study". Genome.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  18. ↑ Stanton, Michael V.; Jonassaint, Charles R.; Bartholomew, Frederick B.; Edwards, Christopher; Richman, Laura; DeCastro, Laura; Williams, Redford (November 2010). "The Association of Optimism and Perceived Discrimination With Health Care Utilization in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease". Journal of the National Medical Association. 102 (11): 1056–1064. doi:10.1016/s0027-9684(15)30733-1. ISSN   0027-9684. PMC   3663072 . PMID   21141295.
  19. ↑ Inusa, Baba Psalm Duniya; Jacob, Eufemia; Dogara, Livingstone; Anie, Kofi A (January 2021). "Racial inequalities in access to care for young people living with pain due to sickle cell disease". The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. 5 (1): 7–9. doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30318-7. PMID   33065000. S2CID   223547761.
  20. ↑ Farooq, Faheem; Mogayzel, Peter J.; Lanzkron, Sophie; Haywood, Carlton; Strouse, John J. (2020-03-27). "Comparison of US Federal and Foundation Funding of Research for Sickle Cell Disease and Cystic Fibrosis and Factors Associated With Research Productivity". JAMA Network Open. 3 (3): e201737. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.1737 . ISSN   2574-3805. PMID   32219405.
  21. ↑ Lee, LaTasha; Smith-Whitley, Kim; Banks, Sonja; Puckrein, Gary (November 2019). "Reducing Health Care Disparities in Sickle Cell Disease: A Review". Public Health Reports. 134 (6): 599–607. doi: 10.1177/0033354919881438 . ISSN   0033-3549. PMC   6832089 . PMID   31600481.
  22. ↑ Bonham, Vence (1 June 2019). "Somatic Genome Editing in Sickle Cell Disease: Rewriting a More Just Future". North Carolina Law Review.
  23. 1 2 3 "Vence Bonham – Searching for a Cure: Sickle Cell Disease Gene Editing". Innovative Genomics Institute. 20 March 2020.
  24. ↑ Desine, Stacy; Hollister, Brittany M.; Abdallah, Khadijah E.; Persaud, Anitra; Hull, Sara Chandros; Bonham, Vence L. (2020-10-01). "The Meaning of Informed Consent: Genome Editing Clinical Trials for Sickle Cell Disease". AJOB Empirical Bioethics. 11 (4): 195–207. doi:10.1080/23294515.2020.1818876. ISSN   2329-4515. PMC   7710006 . PMID   33044907.
  25. ↑ "As genome-editing trials become more common, informed consent is changing: NHGRI researchers are working with patients, families and the scientific community to improve the informed consent process". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  26. ↑ Bonham, Vence L.; Citrin, Toby; Modell, Stephen M.; Franklin, Tené Hamilton; Bleicher, Esther W. B.; Fleck, Leonard M. (June 2009). "Community-Based Dialogue: Engaging Communities of Color in the United States' Genetics Policy Conversation". Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. 34 (3): 325–359. doi:10.1215/03616878-2009-009. ISSN   0361-6878. PMC   2800818 . PMID   19451407.

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