Overview
Charmaine Royal is the Robert O. Keohane Professor of African & African American Studies, Biology, Global Health, and Family Medicine & Community Health at Duke University. She directs the Duke Center on Genomics, Race, Identity, Difference and the Duke Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation.
Dr. Royal’s research, scholarship, and teaching focus on ethical, social, scientific, and clinical implications of human genetics and genomics, with an emphasis on issues at the intersection of genetics and race. Her interests and primary areas of work include genetics and genomics in African and African Diaspora populations; sickle cell disease and trait; public and professional perspectives and practices regarding race, ethnicity, and ancestry; genetic ancestry inference; and genotype-environment interplay. A fundamental aim of her work is to dismantle ideologies and systems of racial hierarchy in science, healthcare, and society. She serves on numerous national and international advisory boards and committees for government agencies, professional organizations, research initiatives, not-for-profit entities, and corporations.
Dr. Royal obtained a bachelor’s degree in microbiology, master’s degree in genetic counseling, and doctorate in human genetics from Howard University. She completed postgraduate training in ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) research and bioethics at the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and in epidemiology and behavioral medicine at Howard University Cancer Center.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Genomics and Health Data Governance in Africa: Democratize the Use of Big Data and Popularize Public Engagement.
Journal Article The Hastings Center report · December 2024 Effectively addressing ethical issues in precision medicine research in Africa requires a holistic social contract that integrates biomedical knowledge with local cultural values and Indigenous knowledge systems. Drawing on African epistemologies such as u ... Full text CiteA CAMPUS NARRATIVE OF A RESEARCH-INFORMED VISIONING PROCESS
Chapter · January 1, 2024 The vision, mission, and goals of the Duke Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (Duke TRHT Center) align with those of Duke University and are guided by the framework and principles of the national TRHT Movement. As an institution, Duke contin ... Full text CiteStigma and quality of life in adults with sickle cell disease in Jamaica and the United States.
Journal Article Psychology, health & medicine · June 2023 Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited blood disorder in both Jamaica and the United States and is characterized by poor quality of life and debilitating complications, with the hallmark symptom being pain caused by acute and chronic condit ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Tom Russell Charitable Foundation
Public ServicePrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Tom Russell Charitable Foundation · 2020 - 2025Implementation and Implications of Sickle Cell Trait Screening in the NCAA
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2025U.S. PUBLIC PERSPECTIVES ON RACE AND GENETICS
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Burroughs Wellcome Fund · 2021 - 2023View All Grants