"Nothing about us without us"
Research on genetic science and genetic medicine has historically left out the voices of the disability community. This is unacceptable. For decades, members of the disability community have demanded "nothing about us without us"--that conversations about disability, policy decisions affecting disabled people, and technological developments impacting the lives of disabled people should include members of the disability community, so that they can bring their lived experiences with disability to the table.
GURU: Graduate and Undergraduate Researchers of UCEER
Graduate and Undergraduate Researchers of UCEER (GURU) is an NIH-funded, first-of-its-kind program designed to give disabled students at the University of Utah the opportunity to join a research team focused on the ethical, legal, and social issues raised by genomic science and genomic medicine. The ultimate goal is to provide students with a combination of mentorship, research, and curricular resources that will maximize their potential for moving on to the next stage of their academic or professional career.
Resources for GURU Participants
Undergraduate student participants in GURU will receive the following support:
- Paired with a faculty researcher and paid $15/hour (for up to 150 hours/semester)
- Provided $3000/year to support travel to an academic conference
- Placed in a mentorship network with multiple mentors, at least one of whom will be a disabled faculty member
- Offered the opportunity to take courses focusing on the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomic science and genomic medicine
Graduate student participants in GURU will receive the following support:
- Supported with a Graduate Research Assistant stipend of $25,000 (for a 20 hours/week commitment).
- Supported with a Tuition Benefit Program that covers 100% of eligible tuitions and fees (for additional information, see here)
- Provided $6000/year to support travel to two academic conferences
- Provided $2500/year to support own research
- Placed in a mentorship network with multiple mentors, at least one of whom will be a disabled faculty member
- Offered the opportunity to take course focusing on the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomic science and genomic medicine
UCEER Projects to Join
UCEER supports a range of projects that probe the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomic science and genomic medicine; topics include: the role of genetic information in the criminal justice system, the medicalization of race, the history of eugenic sterilization in Utah, the influence of direct-to-consumer genetic testing, the predictive power of genomics and the ethical implications of getting that information right or wrong, the use of novel ways to obtain informed consent, the protection of intellectual property pertaining to genomic insights, and the ways that genetic information is portrayed on social media, to name just a few. We have collaborations with faculty and students in the College of Law, Ob/Gyn, Communication, Nursing, Psychology, Philosophy, Pediatrics, Fine Arts, Internal Medicine, and Pharmacotherapy. Please take a look at the Current Projects page to learn more about the ongoing research activities.
Apply (application deadline: January 27, 2023)
- Online application
- application materials: CV, personal statement, transcript, 2 letters of recommendation
- If you require accommodations to complete the application, please contact the Center for Disability & Access at 801.581.5020. Student Union Room 162
- Questions? Contact Jim Tabery at 801.581.8362 or james.tabery@utah.edu