Neonatal screening

This special three-part colloquium marks the arrival of Prof. em. Diane Paul’s visit to the Section Community Genetics through the CSG Centre for Society and the Life Sciences Visiting Scholar Programme. She will be discussing her research plans on the history of newborn screening in the Netherlands and Europe in her lecture 'The paradox of PKU. How a rare disorder changed medicine and public health.'

Also, Tessel Rigter, MSc, Community Genetics will present 'Current practices in neonatal screening in Europe' and prof. Martina Cornel, PhD MD, Community Genetics will present 'Developing expert opinion on neonatal screening in Europe'

You are invited to join these inspiring presentation. The colloquium will take place in room A301 of the Medical Faculty of the VU University Medical Centre. For more information, please contact Carla van El.

Diane Paul is Professor Emerita, University of Massachusetts Boston and Research Associate, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. Her research has focused on the history of evolution and genetics, especially in respect to eugenics and the nature-nurture debate. She has published two books in this area: Controlling Human Heredity: 1865 to the Present and a collection of essays, The Politics of Heredity. Her recent work also includes collaborative research with population geneticist Hamish Spencer on the history of debates over consanguineous marriage and with sociologist Aaron Panofsky on divergent perspectives from science studies and bioethics on patient advocacy groups. Her main project at present is a history of newborn screening for phenylketonuria. A book based on that research, co-authored by pediatrician and medical historian Jeffrey P. Brosco, is under contract to the Johns Hopkins University Press.