Constance B. Hilliard is Professor of History at the University of North Texas. She is the author of several books, including Straightening the Bell Curve: How Stereotypes about Black Masculinity Drive Research on Race and Intelligence.
A tour de force. Timely, well documented, and frankly fascinating, Ancestral Genomics successfully combines multiple disciplines to advance a worthy goal: making genomics a unifying knowledge for the entire human family. -- Ambroise Wonkam, Director, McKusick-Nathans Institute, and Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University A must-read for anyone interested in health equity, citizen science, or family history. Dispelling pervasive myths around race and group differences, Hilliard reveals the critical role that considerations of ancestry must play in any attempt to make precision medicine more just and equitable. -- Goldie Smith Byrd, Director, Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, Wake Forest University A fascinating personal health journey that leads us from Japan to Timbuktu. Noting that the genetic data in the Genome-Wide Association Studies come overwhelmingly from those with European ancestry, Hilliard shows why these data must be diversified to understand medical conundrums. This is essential reading for those who puzzle about their health and wellness, and it may lead physicians who rely on standard references (70 kg white males) to reconsider their diagnoses. -- Linda M. Dairiki Shortliffe, Stanley McCormick Memorial Professor of Urology, Emerita, Stanford University