How far has anthropology come in becoming racially inclusive? In this article, we analyze an online survey of anthropology graduate students and faculty of color undertaken by the AAA Commission on Race and Racism in Anthropology. Despite some progress, institutional and attitudinal barriers remain. We use the concept of "white public space" to analyze these barriers: departmental labor is divided in ways that assign to faculty and graduate students of color responsibilities that have lower status and rewards than those of their white counterparts.Colorblind racial explanatory practices-discourses that explain away racially unequal institutional practices as being "not about race"-are common. We argue that such practices make many anthropology departments feel like whiteowned social and intellectual spaces. We conclude by suggesting steps with which anthropology departments can create more inclusive social spaces that are owned equally by scholars of color and their white peers. [racism and anthropology, racial division of labor, diversity, race avoidance, white public space]

Background/Aims: Although pharmacogenomics-based diagnostics and therapeutics are increasingly being translated into personalized medicine applications, relatively little evidence exists about how novel pharmacogenomics-based technologies will be accepted and adopted by patients. It is important to understand the characteristics of genomic diagnostics and targeted therapeutics that might impact utilization or serve as barriers to adoption of these novel technologies in order to formulate appropriate policies and procedures. The objective of this study was to investigate patients’ understanding and knowledge of personalized medicine and the process of decision-making regarding pharmacogenomics testing and targeted therapeutics and to better understand how patients value receiving pharmacogenomics-based care. Methods: We conducted 4 focus groups with 8–10 individuals in each group with patients recruited from out-patient clinics at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Tex., USA. Results: The use of genomic diagnostics and targeted therapeutics to facilitate personalized medicine has considerable support from patients. However, our data revealed that participants were concerned with issues surrounding privacy and confidentiality of genetic test results, particularly with respect to access of information by insurers, with potential costs of testing and issues related to accuracy of test results. Questions regarding willingness to pay revealed that patients would be more willing to pay out-of-pocket if the disease associated with pharmacogenomic testing for treatment was perceived to be high risk (e.g., colorectal cancer) versus a chronic condition that was perceived as lower risk (e.g., high cholesterol). Conclusion: As the personalized medicine approach is increasingly incorporated into health care, understanding patients’ needs and their readiness to adopt these novel technologies will become progressively more important for the development of appropriate health policies.

▪ Abstract  This review examines the current state of knowledge about HIV/AIDS in terms of its origins, pathogenesis, genetic variation, and evolutionary biology. The HIV virus damages the host's immune system, resulting in AIDS, which is characterized by immunodeficiency, opportunistic infections, neoplasms, and neurological problems. HIV is a complex retrovirus with a high mutation rate. This mutation rate allows the virus to evade host immune responses, and evidence indicates that selection favors more virulent strains with rapid replication. While a number of controversial theories attempt to explain the origin of HIV/AIDS, phylogenetic evidence suggests a zoonotic transmission of HIV to humans and implicates the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) as the source of HIV-1 infection and the sooty mangabey as the source of HIV-2 infection in human populations. New therapies provide hope for increased longevity among people living with AIDS, but the biology of HIV presents significant obstacles to finding a cure and/or vaccine. HIV continues to be a threat to the global population because of its fast mutation rate, recombinogenic effect, and its use of human defenses to replicate itself.

An increasing number of communities in the United States are ethnically diverse. In recent decades, large numbers of immigrants, for example, Mexicans, Central Americans, Latin Americans, and Asian Americans, have been incorporated into predominantly African American urban neighborhoods and communities. An understanding of the nature of interactions in these ethnically, culturally, and sometimes linguistically diverse environments is necessary to enable community members and leaders to deal with changing interactional patterns in their neighborhoods. By recognizing that interpersonal interactions are influenced by ethnicity and by comprehending the impact of ethnicity on social interaction, it may be possible for these dynamic neighborhoods to maintain a sense of community life that includes all ethnic groups. However, information on the effect of immigration on African American lifeway is lacking.A body of literature exists on Chinese American communities in America. These studies include examination of the types of indi-AUTHORS' NOTE : We gratefully acknowledge the many residents of the housing project who participated in this project. Thanks are also extended to various professionals working in the area and a special thanks to employees of the Housing Authority and the Community Center.

This study demonstrates breast and colorectal cancer patients' willingness to adopt and pay for novel genomic diagnostics, as well as identifies several salient factors associated with patient preferences for genomic diagnostics.