Pioneering Geneticist Georgia Dunston Inspire Awards 2004 Honoree -- AARP Mag... Advocacy

Georgia Dunston Genome Pioneer

Growing up in Virginia in the 1950s, Georgia Dunston looked at her segregated world and asked, "What makes people different?" As the founding director of the National Human Genome Center at Howard University, the pioneering geneticist ponders the biological answer: precious little. "99.9 percent of the 3.1 billion nucleotides [in the human genome] are identical between any two people anywhere in the world," she says. "That's how closely related the human family is." But variations do exist. In May 2003, Dunston announced the university's partnership with Chicago-based First Genetic Trust to establish GRAD (Genomic Research in the African Diaspora)—a biobank to trace genetic factors behind diseases such as diabetes and prostate cancer that disproportionately affect African Americans. "I think we'll learn some lessons on how life works by looking inside the cell, rather than outside the individual," she says. "Maybe this time we'll get it right." *The name of this award was originally the Impact Award. In 2008, the awards were renamed as the Inspire Awards. Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

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