Respecting the Gift Empowering Indigenous Communities in Genomic Medicine

Genomic and precision medicine represent a once in a generation step change in health and medical sciences. Elucidation of the human genome with high-throughput sequencing technologies has exposed the underlying biological architecture of human development and functioning. Yet diverse populations are not yet represented in, engaged with, nor do they have equitable access to the benefits of genomic research. This is particularly true for Indigenous Australians. While enhanced diversity within genomic datasets will not be enough to solve the major challenges faced by marginalised communities, it is a necessary step. We have established a multi-disciplinary national consortium of Indigenous researchers and their scientific and institutional allies to empower Indigenous leadership in genomics.