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Biographical entry Easteal, Simon

Professor

Occupation
Research scientist

Summary

Simon Easteal was recruited to the Human Genetics Group of the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) in 1987 just after Bob Kirk retired. In 1994 he became head of the Human Genetics Group and in 2000 was made a Professor. From 2008 to 2011, Easteal served as the Deputy Director of JCSMR. In 2013, he became Director of the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics.

Details

In the late 1980s, Easteal started to become aware of the ethical concerns surrounding research work done on Indigenous blood specimens. In the early to mid 1990s, the inclusion of twelve Aboriginal communities in the Human Genome Diversity Project and the leaking of their names to the press, caused conflict and upset among Australian Aboriginals and Australian researchers. After much deliberation over the ethical considerations, it was decided in the late 1990s to cease all research work relating to the ANU's Indigenous biospecimen collection. The collection was placed into long term storage. In 2012, an Indigenous Consultative Committee was convened to assess the collection and advise the ANU on its future. The committee concluded that the ANU collection was of immense cultural, historical and scientific importance, and in 2013, the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics was set up under the guidance of an Indigenous-led Governance Board. Simon Easteal was appointed Director of the Centre and is currently custodian of the collection.

Archival resources

National Centre for Indigenous Genomics

  • Correspondence, 1989 - 1999, XB5-12; National Centre for Indigenous Genomics. Details
  • Correspondence, 1993 - 1994, XB5-08; National Centre for Indigenous Genomics. Details
  • Correspondence, 1988 - 1997, XB5-06; National Centre for Indigenous Genomics. Details
  • Correspondence, 1993 - 2000, X1A-06; National Centre for Indigenous Genomics. Details
  • Event: Public Lecture, 25/5/2015, EVENT-02; National Centre for Indigenous Genomics. Details
  • Laboratory Notes, Report and Correspondence, 1990 - 1999, 06A-01; National Centre for Indigenous Genomics. Details

Published resources

Book Sections

Online Resources