Charmaine Royal is associate professor of African & African American Studies, Biology, and Community & Family Medicine at Duke University. She is also core faculty in the Duke Initiative for Science and Society, faculty affiliate in the Duke Global Health Institute, and senior fellow in the Kenan Institute for Ethics. Her research, scholarship, and teaching focus on ethical and social issues in genetics and genomics on a global scale, particularly the intersection of ‘race’ and genetics, its policy implications and practical interventions. She serves on several national and international professional committees and boards related to these topics. She directs the Duke Center on Genomics, Race, Identity, Difference (GRID) that aims to inform and transform the concepts, uses, and impacts of ‘race’ in research, healthcare, and society. She received a master’s in genetic counseling and a doctorate in human genetics from Howard University. She completed postgraduate training in bioethics and ELSI (ethical, legal, and social implications) research at the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and in epidemiology and behavioral medicine at Howard University Cancer Center.