Clinician Investigator, Center for Precision Health Research
Head, Childhood Complex Disease Genomics Section
National Human Genome Research Institute
National Institutes of Health

Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine

Ancestry and Admixture: Adventures in African Genomics

Large-scale genomic studies have heralded a new era for medicine, promising targeted interventions and improved diagnostics; however, these advances have predominantly been forged through studies conducted in populations of European ancestry. Recent reports have highlighted this dearth of diversity among genomic studies, particularly as it pertains populations of African ancestry. Paradoxically, African populations harbor more genomic diversity and have more complex ancestral patterns that other continental groups, and so offer the opportunity to derive unique insights to our genomes. This diversity is evident in the work of the H3Africa Consortium, and has consequences for genomic studies of disorders affecting African ancestry groups, including sickle cell disease and early-onset hypertension.