Prof. Wolf Quoted by Science on Controversial Return of Results Study from NIH

Science magazine quoted Professor Susan Wolf in an article on a controversial new study published by Will Schupmann and colleagues. They surveyed participants from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) environmental health study more than a year after their initial enrollment in the study. Survey results showed that nearly half of those who had initially declined to receive secondary findings discovered in the course of research now opted to receive them. Even though Schupmann et al. found that “a greater proportion of Black participants refused” secondary findings, the authors proposed “a default practice of attempting to return medically actionable genetic findings to research participants, without actively soliciting preferences.” Prof. Wolf objected, in part because of the higher rate of refusal by Black participants: “That strengthens the argument for saying we’ve really got to get true consent, opt-in consent from everyone.”