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Increasing diversity in genomics requires investment in equitable partnerships and capacity building

Nature Genetics volume 54, pages 740–745 (2022)Cite this article

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Calls for diversity in genomics have motivated new global research collaborations across institutions with highly imbalanced resources. We describe practical lessons we have learned so far from designing multidisciplinary international research and capacity-building programs that prioritize equity in two intertwined programs — the NeuroGAP-Psychosis research study and GINGER training program — spanning institutions in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and the United States.

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Fig. 1: Timeline of NeuroGAP-Psychosis and GINGER Program to date.
Fig. 2: Project manager Stella Gichuru discusses NeuroGAP-Psychosis with research assistants.

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Acknowledgements

We thank R. Hosking for feedback on this manuscript. This work is supported by funding from the US National Institutes of Health (K01TW012180 to K.J.K.; R00MH117229 to A.R.M.; U01MH125047 to B.M.N. and K.C.K.; R01MH120642 to K.C.K., D.J.S., S.T. and D.A.; U01MH125045 to K.C.K.; and R01MH124851 to B.M.N. and K.C.K.). This work is also made possible by generous support from the Stanley Family Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Alicia R. Martin, Rocky E. Stroud II, Sinéad B. Chapman, Katelyn Flowers, Bizu Gelaye, Karestan C. Koenen, Ana Maria Olivares, Kristianna Post & Lori B. Chibnik

  2. Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Alicia R. Martin & Sinéad B. Chapman

  3. Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Alicia R. Martin

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Rocky E. Stroud II, Bizu Gelaye, Kristina J. Korte, Karestan C. Koenen & Lori B. Chibnik

  5. Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Tamrat Abebe

  6. Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

    Dickens Akena

  7. Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Melkam Alemayehu & Solomon Teferra

  8. Department of Mental Health, School of Medicine, Moi University College of Health Sciences, Eldoret, Kenya

    Lukoye Atwoli

  9. Brain and Mind Institute, Medical College East Africa, The Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya

    Lukoye Atwoli

  10. Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College East Africa, The Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya

    Lukoye Atwoli

  11. Broad Genomics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Katelyn Flowers & Sam Pollock

  12. Department of Mental Health, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya

    Stella Gichuru

  13. Neurosciences Unit, Clinical Department, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme–Coast, Kilifi, Kenya

    Symon M. Kariuki & Charles R. J. C. Newton

  14. Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Symon M. Kariuki & Charles R. J. C. Newton

  15. Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme–Coast, Kilifi, Kenya

    Sam Kinyanjui

  16. Nuffield Department of Medicine, Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Sam Kinyanjui

  17. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Kristina J. Korte

  18. Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Nastassja Koen & Dan J. Stein

  19. SA MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town and Neuroscience Institute, Cape Town, South Africa

    Nastassja Koen & Dan J. Stein

  20. Department of Psychiatry and Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Ilina Singh

  21. Executive Dean’s Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Gqebera, South Africa

    Zukiswa Zingela

  22. Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Lori B. Chibnik

Authors
  1. Alicia R. Martin
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  2. Rocky E. Stroud II
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  5. Melkam Alemayehu
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  6. Lukoye Atwoli
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  7. Sinéad B. Chapman
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  8. Katelyn Flowers
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  9. Bizu Gelaye
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  10. Stella Gichuru
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  11. Symon M. Kariuki
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  14. Nastassja Koen
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  15. Karestan C. Koenen
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  16. Charles R. J. C. Newton
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  17. Ana Maria Olivares
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  18. Sam Pollock
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  19. Kristianna Post
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  20. Ilina Singh
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  21. Dan J. Stein
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  22. Solomon Teferra
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  23. Zukiswa Zingela
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  24. Lori B. Chibnik
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Alicia R. Martin or Lori B. Chibnik.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Martin, A.R., Stroud, R.E., Abebe, T. et al. Increasing diversity in genomics requires investment in equitable partnerships and capacity building. Nat Genet 54, 740–745 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-022-01095-y

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