Vence L. Bonham Jr.

Vence L. Bonham Jr., J.D. is the acting Deputy Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the U. S. National Institutes of Health, and is the leader of the NHGRI Health Disparities Unit. His research focuses on social determinants of health, particularly with regard to the social implications of new genomic knowledge and technologies.[1]

Vence L. Bonham Jr.
EducationMichigan State University (BA)
Ohio State University (JD)

Education and career

Bonham earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University in 1978.[2] He taught middle school history and social studies before earning his Juris Doctor degree from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1982.[2] His mother was a school social worker and his father was a science teacher. He began his career in healthcare law and then obtained a Health Services Research Fellowship from the American Association of Medical Colleges. Mr. Bonham then taught health policy and bioethics to medical students at Michigan State for a number of years before starting at the NHGRI in 2002.[3] He is a member of the NIH Tribal Health Research Coordinating Committee (THRCC).[4]

Research

Health policy

Bonham's career spans the intersections of law, medical research, and social justice. As he writes in the forward to the summary of The 21st Annual Saint Louis University Health Law Symposium, "Living in the Genetic Age: New Issues, New Challenges", "an important challenge for the legal profession is to train ... lawyers knowledgeable of science and genomics to play an important role in the translation of the technological and scientific discoveries into benefits for society."[5] He has contributed to guidelines highlighting major issues in these overlapping areas, such as maintaining a focus on improving health, striving for global diversity, maximizing the usability of genomics for the general public, and promoting robust and consistent standards for genomic research.[6][7] His ongoing work addresses the balance of scientific progress and ethical and equitable treatment of persons.

Genomics and health disparities

The fast improvements and applications of genomics data in a clinical setting for treatment of disease have left many communities underrepresented in original research, which can mislead diagnostics and treatment. As director of the Health Disparities Unit at NHGRI, Bonham leads a team that aims to achieve health equity in the context of genomic medicine, where genomic knowledge, access to genomic services (testing and counseling), and unbiased implementation of genomic medicine are accessible and applied globally and fairly across all populations.[8]

He has organized and advocated for the development of improved laws surrounding the application of genomics in a clinical setting and precision medicine to better serve underrepresented communities.[9] Bonham and colleagues have developed three scales in an attempt to assess the knowledge and perception of race and human variation by clinicians.[10] These scales are: Genetic Variation Knowledge Assessment Index–GKAI, Health Professionals Beliefs about Race—HPBR, and Racial Attributes in Clinical Evaluation—RACE.

"GKAI is a timely knowledge scale that can be used to assess health professional knowledge of race and human genetic variation. HPBR is a promising new tool for assessing health professionals' beliefs about the role of race and its relationship with human genetic variation in clinical practice. RACE offers a valid and reliable tool for assessing explicit use of racial attributes in clinical decision making."[10]

Sickle cell disease

Bonham has published on the treatment, screening, and study of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and is an expert on the history and emerging science regarding this condition.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] In his role at the NHGRI, he leads the INSIGHTS program (The Insights into Microbiome and Environmental Contributions to Sickle Cell Disease and Leg Ulcers Study), a longitudinal interdisciplinary study exploring sickle cell disease in adults that covers genomic, microbial, physical, and social influences.[18] He sees SCD as a condition that highlights and demonstrates healthcare disparities "where the outcomes and the experiences are evidence of not getting the necessary treatments and focus historically."[3] This makes SCD an important disease to study through the lenses of healthcare equity and justice.[19][20][21][22] With Lisa E. Smilan, he wrote an article for the North Carolina Law Review in 2019 regarding the legal and ethical considerations of somatic gene editing in sickle cell disease.[23]

Bonham and his research group are moving forward with the World Health Organization and investigators in Sierra Leone to study adults with SCD, to increase utilization of newborn screening, and to address the ethical and logistical considerations of curative therapies in a developing country.[24]

Ethics of genome-editing

With the emergence of gene editing technologies such as CRISPR, Bonham has emphasized that SCD is a critical example of the value of respect for persons, fairness, and worldwide collaboration as genomic technology continues to evolve.[24] Clinical trials for one of the first attempts in somatic cell genome editing using CRISPR technology are for the treatment of sickle cell disease. he and his colleagues have published multiple peer-reviewed studies identifying gaps in knowledge of trial participants that could prevent them from giving adequately informed consent.[25][26][15] He highlights the importance of engaging with the SCD patient community with regard to scientific developments in treatment and management of the disease and prioritizing their protection and equitable care.[27][24]

Personal life

Bonham and his wife live in Bethesda, MD and have two grown sons. He considers himself an art lover and has his own collection of primarily African American art.[3]

References
  1. "Vence L. Bonham, Jr., J.D." Genome.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  2. "MSU'S BONHAM APPOINTED TO KEY POST AT NATIONAL HUMAN GENOME RESEARCH INSTITUTE". MSUToday | Michigan State University. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  3. "Speaker Spotlight: Vence Bonham". Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI). 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  4. "NIH Tribal Health Research Coordinating Committee (THRCC) | DPCPSI". dpcpsi.nih.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  5. University, St. Louis. "Foreword" (PDF).
  6. Green, Eric D.; Gunter, Chris; Biesecker, Leslie G.; Di Francesco, Valentina; Easter, Carla L.; Feingold, Elise A.; Felsenfeld, Adam L.; Kaufman, David J.; Ostrander, Elaine A.; Pavan, William J.; Phillippy, Adam M. (2020-10-29). "Strategic vision for improving human health at The Forefront of Genomics". Nature. 586 (7831): 683–692. Bibcode:2020Natur.586..683G. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2817-4. ISSN 0028-0836. PMC 7869889. PMID 33116284.
  7. Bonham, Vence L.; Green, Eric D. (January 2021). "The genomics workforce must become more diverse: a strategic imperative". The American Journal of Human Genetics. 108 (1): 3–7. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2020.12.013. PMC 7820786. PMID 33417888.
  8. Jooma, Sonya; Hahn, Michael J.; Hindorff, Lucia A.; Bonham, Vence L. (2019-02-21). "Defining and Achieving Health Equity in Genomic Medicine". Ethnicity & Disease. 29 (Suppl 1): 173–178. doi:10.18865/ed.29.S1.173. ISSN 1945-0826. PMC 6428182. PMID 30906166.
  9. Wolf, Susan M.; Bonham, Vence L.; Bruce, Marino A. (2019-12-12). "How Can Law Support Development of Genomics and Precision Medicine to Advance Health Equity and Reduce Disparities?". Ethnicity & Disease. 29 (Supp): 623–628. doi:10.18865/ed.29.S3.623. ISSN 1945-0826. PMC 6919974. PMID 31889767.
  10. Bonham, Vence L.; Sellers, Sherrill L.; Woolford, Sam (2014-10-02). "Physicians' knowledge, beliefs, and use of race and human genetic variation: new measures and insights". BMC Health Services Research. 14 (1): 456. doi:10.1186/1472-6963-14-456. ISSN 1472-6963. PMC 4283084. PMID 25277068.
  11. Todd, Knox H.; Green, Carmen; Bonham, Vence L.; Haywood, Carlton; Ivy, Evera (July 2006). "Sickle cell disease related pain: crisis and conflict". The Journal of Pain. 7 (7): 453–458. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2006.05.004. ISSN 1526-5900. PMID 16814684.
  12. Bonham, Vence L.; Haywood, Carlton; Gamble, Vanessa Northington (January 2007), "Sickle Cell Disease: The Past, Present and Future Social and Ethical Dilemmas", Renaissance of Sickle Cell Disease Research in the Genome Era, PUBLISHED BY IMPERIAL COLLEGE PRESS AND DISTRIBUTED BY WORLD SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING CO., pp. 311–323, doi:10.1142/9781860947964_0019, ISBN 978-1-86094-645-5, retrieved 2021-02-15
  13. Bonham, Vence L.; Dover, George J.; Brody, Lawrence C. (2010-09-09). "Screening student athletes for sickle cell trait--a social and clinical experiment". The New England Journal of Medicine. 363 (11): 997–999. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1007639. ISSN 1533-4406. PMID 20825310.
  14. Goldsmith, Jonathan C.; Bonham, Vence L.; Joiner, Clinton H.; Kato, Gregory J.; Noonan, Allan S.; Steinberg, Martin H. (March 2012). "Framing the research agenda for sickle cell trait: building on the current understanding of clinical events and their potential implications". American Journal of Hematology. 87 (3): 340–346. doi:10.1002/ajh.22271. ISSN 1096-8652. PMC 3513289. PMID 22307997.
  15. Persaud, Anitra; Desine, Stacy; Blizinsky, Katherine; Bonham, Vence L. (August 2019). "A CRISPR focus on attitudes and beliefs toward somatic genome editing from stakeholders within the sickle cell disease community". Genetics in Medicine. 21 (8): 1726–1734. doi:10.1038/s41436-018-0409-6. ISSN 1530-0366. PMC 6606394. PMID 30581191.
  16. Naik, Rakhi P.; Smith-Whitley, Kim; Hassell, Kathryn L.; Umeh, Nkeiruka I.; de Montalembert, Mariane; Sahota, Puneet; Haywood, Carlton; Jenkins, Jean; Lloyd-Puryear, Michele A.; Joiner, Clinton H.; Bonham, Vence L. (6 November 2018). "Clinical Outcomes Associated With Sickle Cell Trait: A Systematic Review". Annals of Internal Medicine. 169 (9): 619–627. doi:10.7326/M18-1161. ISSN 1539-3704. PMC 6487193. PMID 30383109.
  17. Bonham, Vence L.; Haywood, Carlton; Gamble, Vanessa Northington (January 2007), "Sickle Cell Disease: The Past, Present and Future Social and Ethical Dilemmas", Renaissance of Sickle Cell Disease Research in the Genome Era, PUBLISHED BY IMPERIAL COLLEGE PRESS AND DISTRIBUTED BY WORLD SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING CO., pp. 311–323, doi:10.1142/9781860947964_0019, ISBN 978-1-86094-645-5, retrieved 2021-02-12
  18. "INSIGHTS Study". Genome.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  19. Stanton, Michael V.; Jonassaint, Charles R.; Bartholomew, Frederick B.; Edwards, Christopher; Richman, Laura; DeCastro, Laura; Williams, Redford (November 2010). "The Association of Optimism and Perceived Discrimination With Health Care Utilization in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease". Journal of the National Medical Association. 102 (11): 1056–1064. doi:10.1016/s0027-9684(15)30733-1. ISSN 0027-9684. PMC 3663072. PMID 21141295.
  20. Inusa, Baba Psalm Duniya; Jacob, Eufemia; Dogara, Livingstone; Anie, Kofi A (January 2021). "Racial inequalities in access to care for young people living with pain due to sickle cell disease". The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. 5 (1): 7–9. doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30318-7. PMID 33065000. S2CID 223547761.
  21. Farooq, Faheem; Mogayzel, Peter J.; Lanzkron, Sophie; Haywood, Carlton; Strouse, John J. (2020-03-27). "Comparison of US Federal and Foundation Funding of Research for Sickle Cell Disease and Cystic Fibrosis and Factors Associated With Research Productivity". JAMA Network Open. 3 (3): e201737. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.1737. ISSN 2574-3805. PMID 32219405.
  22. Lee, LaTasha; Smith-Whitley, Kim; Banks, Sonja; Puckrein, Gary (November 2019). "Reducing Health Care Disparities in Sickle Cell Disease: A Review". Public Health Reports. 134 (6): 599–607. doi:10.1177/0033354919881438. ISSN 0033-3549. PMC 6832089. PMID 31600481.
  23. Bonham, Vence (1 June 2019). "Somatic Genome Editing in Sickle Cell Disease: Rewriting a More Just Future". North Carolina Law Review.
  24. "Vence Bonham – Searching for a Cure: Sickle Cell Disease Gene Editing". Innovative Genomics Institute.
  25. Desine, Stacy; Hollister, Brittany M.; Abdallah, Khadijah E.; Persaud, Anitra; Hull, Sara Chandros; Bonham, Vence L. (2020-10-01). "The Meaning of Informed Consent: Genome Editing Clinical Trials for Sickle Cell Disease". AJOB Empirical Bioethics. 11 (4): 195–207. doi:10.1080/23294515.2020.1818876. ISSN 2329-4515. PMC 7710006. PMID 33044907.
  26. "As genome-editing trials become more common, informed consent is changing: NHGRI researchers are working with patients, families and the scientific community to improve the informed consent process". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  27. Bonham, Vence L.; Citrin, Toby; Modell, Stephen M.; Franklin, Tené Hamilton; Bleicher, Esther W. B.; Fleck, Leonard M. (June 2009). "Community-Based Dialogue: Engaging Communities of Color in the United States' Genetics Policy Conversation". Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. 34 (3): 325–359. doi:10.1215/03616878-2009-009. ISSN 0361-6878. PMC 2800818. PMID 19451407.

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