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SUNY Upstate presentation to explore ethics of genetic testing Oct. 11

"Public Good, Private Rights: Mandating Genetic Screening" will be the subject of SUNY Upstate Medical University's annual President's Ethics Symposium to be held Wednesday, Oct. 11 from 3 to 5:30 p.m. in Medical Alumni Auditorium in Weiskotten Hall, 766 Irving Avenue. The presentation is and free and open to the public.

As part of the presentation, the audience will be able to participate in a "what-if" scenario exploring the pros and cons of genetic testing. For example, while future patients may have better diagnoses and treatment for hereditary diseases (thanks to the recent mapping of the human genome) they may also worry that access to genetic information could affect their lives in less positive ways.

"Increasingly, public policy will need to deal with how to regulate the use of genetic information," said Kathy Faber-Langendoen, M.D., who directs SUNY Upstate's Center for Bioethics and Humanities. Other experts at the symposium will explore the scientific, legal and economic aspects of genetic testing.

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