Keolu Fox

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Keolu Fox
NationalityKānaka Maoli, American
OccupationGenome scientist
Academic background
Alma materWashington, Maryland
ThesisNext Generation ABO Genetics and Genomics hdl:1773/38148 (2016)
Doctoral advisorDeborah Nickerson
Academic work
DisciplineGenomics
InstitutionsUniversity of California, San Diego

Keolu Fox (Kānaka Maoli) is an American genome scientist. He is an assistant professor in the anthropology department at the University of California, San Diego.[1] He studies genomics, with a focus on Indigenous data sovereignty and benefit sharing for biomedical research.[2]

Fox has been an advocate for the community-based participatory research or CBPR model as a strategy for increasing collaboration between the field of genetics and Indigenous communities.[3] He has also examined the potential use of data trusts, federated machine intelligence, and blockchain technologies for Indigenous data sovereignty.[4] Fox is the first Native Hawaiian to receive a PhD in genome sciences.[2]

Research[edit]

Fox has studied the introduction of leprosy to Oceania using Ancient DNA.[5] He has also worked to empower Native American communities with technologies for mobile genome sequencing.[6]

In 2021, Fox and others demonstrated how genomic studies of Indigenous peoples, particularly Pacific Islanders, can reveal their migratory histories, enhance understanding of disease susceptibility due to colonial impacts, and support claims for land repatriation and Indigenous rights.[7][8]

Professional Activities[edit]

Fox is a co-founder and board member of the Native BioData Consortium.[9] Fox is an advocate of Indigenous futurism.[10] In 2020, Fox, Theresa Ambo, and K. Wayne Yang foundered the UCSD Indigenous Futures Institute (IFI). The IFI is an Indigenous-led institute that aims to counter the legacy of unethical scientific practice and Indigenous peoples. IFI channels a community-based participatory model to create community-driven solutions to climate crisis, global pandemics, and the continued denial of Indigenous sovereignty.[11]

At UCSD, Fox is affiliated with the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute, the Institute for Genomic Medicine, the Department of Anthropology, the Global Health Program, the Climate Action Lab, the Design Lab, and the J Craig Venter Institute. Fox also serves as a faculty advisor to UCSD's Black Surf Week program, which combines athletic training in surfing with the study of Black people's relationships to water.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Rubalcava, Amanda (28 September 2023). "Black Surf Week: Catching Waves and Building Community". UC San Diego Today. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b Sofia, Maddie (12 November 2020). "A Call For Equity In Genomics Research". Short Wave. NPR. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  3. ^ Yong, Ed (23 October 2015). "Making Indigenous Peoples Equal Partners in Gene Research". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 12 March 2019.
  4. ^ Tran, Tony Ho (21 July 2022). "Blockchain May End the Pillaging of Indigenous Genetic Data". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  5. ^ Hutchison, Natalie (12 May 2022). "Keolu Fox: Decoding the past to build a better future". Impact. The National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  6. ^ Cram, Stephanie (10 April 2016). "New era of genetic research must include more indigenous people, says Keolu Fox". CBC News. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  7. ^ Fox, Keolu (13 October 2021). "Genomes Show the History and Travels of Indigenous Peoples". Scientific American.
  8. ^ Ioannidis, Alexander G.; Blanco-Portillo, Javier; Sandoval, Karla; Hagelberg, Erika; Barberena-Jonas, Carmina; Hill, Adrian V. S.; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Juan Esteban; Fox, Keolu; Robson, Kathryn; Haoa-Cardinali, Sonia; Quinto-Cortés, Consuelo D.; Miquel-Poblete, Juan Francisco; Auckland, Kathryn; Parks, Tom; Sofro, Abdul Salam M.; Ávila-Arcos, María C.; Sockell, Alexandra; Homburger, Julian R.; Eng, Celeste; Huntsman, Scott; Burchard, Esteban G.; Gignoux, Christopher R.; Verdugo, Ricardo A.; Moraga, Mauricio; Bustamante, Carlos D.; Mentzer, Alexander J.; Moreno-Estrada, Andrés (September 2021). "Paths and timings of the peopling of Polynesia inferred from genomic networks". Nature. 597 (7877): 522–526. Bibcode:2021Natur.597..522I. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03902-8. PMC 9710236. PMID 34552258.
  9. ^ Liverpool, Layal (18 May 2023). "First human 'pangenome' aims to catalogue genetic diversity". Nature. 617 (7961): 444–445. Bibcode:2023Natur.617..444L. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-01576-y. PMID 37165229. S2CID 258617920.
  10. ^ https://www.growbyginkgo.com/2022/12/06/back-to-the-future/
  11. ^ https://ifi.ucsd.edu/our-mission/


Stub icon

This article about an American anthropologist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Keolu_Fox&oldid=1215171036"