What if a cure existed for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries, blindness, HIV/AIDS, and many other debilitating diseases and illnesses? Adapted into state law in the 2004 ballot, Proposition 71 directs $3 billion of state monies toward stem cell research with the mission of making such cures a reality. In this way, stem cell research in California-where low-income and minority populations represent the majority-becomes a site for the collision of science, democracy, and social justice.

On October 14th, 2006, The Greenlining Institute, the UC Berkeley Project on Stem Cells and Society, and the Children's Hospital of Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) are partnering up to host a conference dedicated to addressing the issues of diversity in stem cell research most affecting minority populations. The conference will unite leaders for minority communities, academia, and the sciences to discuss the importance of ethnic diversity at all levels of stem cell research in California. Conference participants will consider strategies for increasing the understanding of the economic and medical potential of stem cell research among historically underserved minority communities and ensure that California's stem cell research efforts serve the state's diverse community.

The conference will be all day from 9:30am to 4pm and will make a substantial effort to collect input from the public and take these recommendations directly to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)-the institute established to direct the state monies to stem cell research. Please direct any questions regarding this conference to Joe Tayag, Program Manager at The Greenlining Institute, at joseft@greenlining.org or call (510) 926-4014.

Sponsored by:
The Greenlining Institute
Office of the Chancellor, UC Berkeley
Project on Stem Cells and Society, UC Berkeley Stem Cell Program
Children's Hospital of Oakland Research Institute
Science, Technology, and Society Center, UC Berkeley
International and Area Studies, UC Berkeley
Berkeley Diversity Research Initiative

Directions and Parking
Directions to Children's Hospital of Oakland Research Institute can be found here.

Participants and guests may park in the south CHORI lot. The north lot is reserved for another event. Please use the south lot, or street parking.