Would you have your genome sequenced? Psychology as applied to genomics.

As genome sequencing (looking at most of a person's DNA) is increasingly used in healthcare systems, its impact on societies - and individuals - needs to be understood. In this talk, Dr Saskia Sanderson details how the science of psychology is helping maximize the benefits & minimize the harms of this increasingly important technology. Saskia is a research psychologist working in the field of psychology as applied to genomics. Saskia is interested in how people think, feel and act in response to getting personal genomic information about themselves, and she conducts research to address these questions. A key focus of her work is to provide empirical evidence on the potential value of genomic sequencing technologies for people in many contexts. She is a researcher in the Department of Behavioural Science and Health at University College London and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. Saskia's training included post-doctoral research at the Centre for Cardiovascular Genetics in the UK, and in the Social and Behavioral Research Branch of the National Human Genome Research Institute in the US. She subsequently took up an Assistant Professor position at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx