Overview
Charmaine Royal is 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 transdisciplinary 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, systems, and impacts of racial hierarchies 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 PhD in human genetics, MS in genetic counseling, and BS in microbiology 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 Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Scholarly Works
Patient, parent and provider perspectives on sickle cell disease genetics research in Jamaica.
Journal article PLOS global public health · January 2026 Advances in genetics and genomics research are revolutionizing the way we understand sickle cell disease (SCD) and approach its treatment and management. Much of this research has been conducted in high-income countries and so much of the available data is ... Full text Open Access CiteImplementation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Sickle Cell Trait Screening Policy: Methods and Staff and Athlete Perspectives.
Journal article Public Health Genomics · 2026 INTRODUCTION: This paper describes methods for a national study evaluating the implementation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) policy on sickle cell trait (SCT) screening of athletes and describes attitudes toward the screening. MET ... Full text Link to item CiteBarriers and facilitators to healthcare utilization amongst people living with sickle cell disease in the United States: A scoping review.
Journal article PloS one · January 2026 BackgroundSickle cell disease (SCD) stands as one of the most prevalent genetic disorders in the United States (U.S.) that causes severe consequences such as organ damage and excruciating pain. Alarmingly, recent literature indicates a decline in ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Advancing a Holistic Understanding of Variability in Lived Experience with Sickle Cell Pain
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute · 2025 - 2030Tom Russell Charitable Foundation
Public ServicePrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Tom Russell Charitable Foundation · 2020 - 2027Implementation and Implications of Sickle Cell Trait Screening in the NCAA
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2025View All Grants