From June 22-24, 2026, the UNC Center for the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Biotechnology (ELSI@UNC) hosted the 7th ELSI Congress, bringing together researchers, trainees, clinicians, policymakers, patient advocates, and community partners from across the United States and beyond to examine the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of advances in genetics and genomics. The Congress featured plenary sessions, panels, workshops, paper presentations, fireside chats, posters, and networking opportunities spanning the breadth of contemporary ELSI research.
The Congress was hosted by Gail Henderson and Kriste Kuczynski of the School of Medicine’s Department of Social Medicine and Jean Cadigan and Margaret Waltz, who are with both the UNC Center for Bioethics and the Department of Social Medicine. The event reflected the longstanding relationship between the Center for Bioethics and ELSI@UNC, which have collaborated for many years to advance scholarship on the ethical and societal implications of emerging biomedical technologies. The 2026 Congress was held at the Friday Center; a welcome speech was offered by the UNC School of Medicine Executive Dean, Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody.
Conference sessions addressed a wide range of topics, including community engagement in genetics research, disability and health equity, access to rare disease therapies, polygenic risk scores, data governance, artificial intelligence, Indigenous sovereignty, and newborn and prenatal screening. For the latter topic, Center for Bioethics associate faculty member Asha Talati presented a paper, Healthcare Provider Perspectives on Prenatal Genetic Screening after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and participated in the panel discussion New Models of Consent for Prenatal Genetic Screening: The Just-In-Time Approach.
The Congress also highlighted methodological innovation in ELSI research and provided opportunities to reflect on the history and future of the field. A fireside chat on the origins of the ELSI Research Program featured Eric Juengst, former director of the UNC Center for Bioethics, along with Lori Andrews, Jean McEwen, and other leaders who helped establish the field.
The meeting concluded with discussions of institutional responsibility in genomics research and strategies for ensuring that advances in genetics and genomics serve the common good. Congress materials and future dissemination activities will extend these conversations to broader scholarly and public audiences.
The 2026, 2028, and 2030 Congresses are being organized by ELSI@UNC with support from the NHGRI ELSI Research Program (award number 1U13HG014594, Gail Henderson PI). ELSI@UNC is supported with funding from SOM’s Office of Research.