Who owns my body?: Go Big Read capstone event

The Go Big Read program will tackle the question of “who owns my body?” and more in its capstone event being held April 15-16 in the Town Center at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. This is the final public forum focused on the 2010-11 campus book selection, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” which chronicles the real-life story of a young woman who died from cancer 60 years ago but whose cells, named HeLa, still live and are used in research labs around the world.

The free one-and-a-half-day event features a cast of speakers from Johns Hopkins and George Washington universities and UW–Madison, including several advisers to U.S. presidents. Campus and community members are welcome to attend and hear the informed perspectives of noted bioethicists, historians, legal scholars and medical professionals regarding the ownership and use of human-derived biomaterials. Topics to be covered include human subjects research, race and business implications.

The agenda is available here. Registration is requested for the event, available here.