Charmaine DM Royal

Charmaine Royal is Associate Professor of African & African American Studies, Biology, Global Health, and Family Medicine & Community Health at Duke University. She also has appointments in the Duke Initiative for Science & Society and the Kenan Institute for Ethics. At Duke Social Science Research Institute, she directs both the Center on Genomics, Race, Identity, Difference and the Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation. Dr. Royal’s research, scholarship, and teaching are interdisciplinary and global, focusing on scientific, clinical, ethical, social, and policy implications of genetics and genomics research, particularly issues at the intersection of genetics and constructs of race. Her major interest is in addressing root causes and implementing sustainable solutions regarding problems of race and racism in research, healthcare, and society. She serves on numerous domestic and international professional committees and boards pertaining to her work. Dr. Royal received her bachelor’s degree in microbiology, master’s in genetic counseling, and doctorate in human genetics from Howard University. She completed postgraduate training in bioethics and ELSI (ethical, legal, and social implications) research at the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and in epidemiology and behavioral medicine at Howard University Cancer Center.

Education

Ph.D., Howard University 1997
M.S., Howard University 1992

Royal, C. D. M., and K. FitzGerald. “Race, Genetics, and Ethics.” In African American Bioethics: Culture, Race, and Identity, edited by Edmund D. Pellegrino, 137–52. Georgetown University Press, 2007.

Royal, C. D. M., and G. Dunston. “The Human Genome: Implications for the Health of African Americans.” In Praeger Handbook of Black American Health, edited by Ivor Lensworth Livingston, 757–75. Praeger Publishers, 2004.

Kittles, R., and C. Royal. “The genetics of African Americans: Implications for disease gene mapping and identity.” In Genetic Nature/Culture: Anthropology and Science beyond the Two-Culture Divide, 219–33, 2003.

Blanchard, J. W., S. Outram, G. Tallbull, and C. D. M. Royal. ““We don’t need a swab in our mouth to prove who we are”: Identity, resistance, and adaptation of genetic ancestry testing among Native American Communities.” Current Anthropology 60, no. 5 (October 1, 2019): 637–55. https://doi.org/10.1086/705483. Full Text

Bulgin, Dominique, Paula Tanabe, Monika Asnani, and Charmaine D. M. Royal. “Twelve tips for teaching a comprehensive disease-focused course with a global perspective: A sickle cell disease example.” Medical Teacher 41, no. 3 (March 2019): 275–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2017.1420151. Full Text

Baker, Charlotte, Jill Powell, Dominic Le, Melissa S. Creary, Lori-Ann Daley, Mary Anne McDonald, and Charmaine Dm Royal. “Implementation of the NCAA Sickle Cell Trait Screening Policy: A Survey of Athletic Staff and Student-athletes.” Journal of the National Medical Association 110, no. 6 (December 2018): 564–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnma.2018.03.004. Full Text Open Access Copy

Nelson, Sarah C., Joon-Ho Yu, Jennifer K. Wagner, Tanya M. Harrell, Charmaine D. Royal, and Michael J. Bamshad. “A content analysis of the views of genetics professionals on race, ancestry, and genetics.” Ajob Empirical Bioethics 9, no. 4 (October 2018): 222–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/23294515.2018.1544177. Full Text Open Access Copy

Outram, S., J. L. Graves, J. Powell, C. Wolpert, K. L. Haynie, M. W. Foster, J. W. Blanchard, A. Hoffmeyer, R. P. Agans, and C. D. M. Royal. “Genes, Race, and Causation: US Public Perspectives About Racial Difference.” Race and Social Problems 10, no. 2 (June 1, 2018): 79–90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-018-9223-7. Full Text Open Access Copy

Christensen, Kurt D., Wendy R. Uhlmann, J Scott Roberts, Erin Linnenbringer, Peter J. Whitehouse, Charmaine D. M. Royal, Thomas O. Obisesan, et al. “A randomized controlled trial of disclosing genetic risk information for Alzheimer disease via telephone.” Genetics in Medicine : Official Journal of the American College of Medical Genetics 20, no. 1 (January 2018): 132–41. https://doi.org/10.1038/gim.2017.103. Full Text

McDonald, Mary Anne, Melissa S. Creary, Jill Powell, Lori-Ann Daley, Charlotte Baker, and Charmaine Dm Royal. “Perspectives and Practices of Athletic Trainers and Team Physicians Implementing the 2010 NCAA Sickle Cell Trait Screening Policy.” Journal of Genetic Counseling 26, no. 6 (December 2017): 1292–1300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-017-0107-6. Full Text

Ifekwunigwe, Jayne O., Jennifer K. Wagner, Joon-Ho Yu, Tanya M. Harrell, Michael J. Bamshad, and Charmaine D. Royal. “A Qualitative Analysis of How Anthropologists Interpret the Race Construct.” American Anthropologist 119, no. 3 (September 2017): 422–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/aman.12890. Full Text

Blanchard, Jessica W., Gloria Tallbull, Chantelle Wolpert, Jill Powell, Morris W. Foster, and Charmaine Royal. “Barriers and Strategies Related to Qualitative Research on Genetic Ancestry Testing in Indigenous Communities.” Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics : Jerhre 12, no. 3 (July 2017): 169–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/1556264617704542. Full Text

Treadwell, M. J., J. Makani, K. Ohene-Frempong, S. Ofori-Acquah, S. McCurdy, J. De Vries, D. Bukini, et al. “Stakeholder Perspectives on Public Health Genomics Applications for Sickle Cell Disease: A Methodology for a Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Qualitative Research Study.” Omics a Journal of Integrative Biology 21, no. 6 (June 1, 2017): 323–32. https://doi.org/10.1089/omi.2017.0047. Full Text