Section outline

  • Lecture:  Epigenetics

    Studies investigating relationship of genetic ancestry with race/ethnicity and implications for health disparities.

    Faculty:  Christine Dehlendorf

    Location:      MIssion Hall 1406

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch URL
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

    • Thayer Kuzawa 2011 Epigenetics File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Kuzawa et al-2009-American Journal of Human Biology (1) File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Mendoza epigenetics File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Optional Reading:

    • critphilrace.1.2.0190 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • parets epigenetics File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Gravlee-2009-American Journal of Physical Anthropology File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • wallack epigenetics File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Resources:


    • Assignment:

      Please consider these questions below when reading each article. If you are unable to attend the class session, please post answers to these questions to the forum by midnight on May 15th.


      Thayer:

      1.       What are the three pathways by which environment can influence epigenetics described in this article? How are these pathways linked to social disadvantage?

      2.       Discuss how the epigenetic pathways described in this article relate to the Fundamental Cause Theory from the first week. When answering this, remember that in Fundamental Cause Theory, the hypothesis is that flexible resources can be deployed to overcome known threats to health and well being.

      3.       Do you agree with the authors of this paper that studies of epigenetic pathways has the potential to overcome popular sentiment towards genetic determinism? Why or why not?

       

      Kuzawa

      1.       What are the pathways by which early social environments can affect racial disparities in CVD?

      2.       How do the concepts and data discussed in this paper inform the debate over a social vs. genetic definition of race?

      3.       How do the epigenetic data and model presented in this paper relate to potential interventions to address health disparities by race in cardiovascular outcomes? After reading the paper, are you more or less optimistic about the potential to impact disparities? Why?

       

      Mendoza

      1.       What are the implications of these findings for how we thinking about mechanisms by which racism affects health?

      2.       How do these findings relate to the Williams article in week 3, in which they considered different types of measurements of racism?