"Start Knowing”: Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing and Epistemic Injustice
Location:
Online only
Date/time
Tue 10 February 2026
13:00-14:00
About the event
Marketing for direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing claims that the knowledge generated about the user’s health is empowering, enabling better health decision-making. But the production and presentation of genetic knowledge typical to this industry may also prove harmful to the user as a knower. This is evident in assumptions about the test user’s ability to understand vast quantities of complex data and the inherent uncertainty of the information offered. Further concerns are raised regarding access to DTC testing and the availability of genetic knowledge; the questionable accuracy of this alleged knowledge; and the use of genetic data by private corporations to extract knowledge for private gain. Understanding the nature of these knowledge-related harms and articulating them through the lens of epistemic injustice can better inform future policy on DTC genetic testing.
About the speaker
Kathryn Sandilands is an early career researcher at the University of Leicester. She recently completed her PhD on the legal and ethical implications of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Her research interests are in biotechnologies, genetics law, and health injustice.
Image credit: Freepik