Rina Shah

An avid reader for as long as she can remember, Rina’s love for books began with The Boxcar Children. Her penchant for always having a book nearby has never faded, though her reading tastes have since evolved. Rina reads around 100 books every year, with a fairly even split between fiction and non-fiction. Her favorite genres are memoirs, public health, and locked room mysteries. As an attorney, Rina can’t help analyzing and deconstructing arguments in any book she reads.

Remuneration: Exploiting or Protecting Human Subjects?

What do clinical trial regulations say about paying research participants? How do researchers go about protecting human subjects? What bioethical issues arise from the remuneration of research subjects that donate tissues? Rules for protecting human subjects generally prohibit paying research participants to donate their tissues or other body parts. But there are some bioethical issues that arise from profiting from research without paying research participants. Learn more about the issues related to protecting human subjects.

David Lacks, Jr. (Sonny): Son of Henrietta Lacks

Who was the middle son of Henrietta Lacks’ children? What was David Lacks, Jr. like after his mother passed? How did the man also known as Sonny Lacks feel about the use of HeLa cells? David Lacks, Jr. is better known as Sonny. He is the third of five children Henrietta Lacks had before she died in 1951. Learn about the life of Sonny Lacks, including why he finally gave in and agreed to meet Rebecca Skloot to talk about his mother.

Christoph Lengauer: The Scientist Who Paints With HeLa Cells

Who is Christoph Lengauer? How did he use HeLa cells to pain other cells? How did the family of Henrietta Lacks feel about Dr. Lengauer contacting them? Christoph Lengauer is a scientist that created a method that revealed more parts of the DNA in a chromosome. The technique used HeLa cells to “paint” with fluorescent dye. Learn about Christoph Lengauer, Henrietta Lacks’ cells, and the revolutionary technique.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Themes and Key Issues

What are The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ themes? What are the key issues or topics discussed throughout the book? How do the themes reflect on social issues? The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ themes focus on racial issues and ethics in health care and research. The book is as much about Henrietta Lacks and her family as it is about society and biomedical research. Read about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ themes. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Theme #1: Inequality in Health Care Johns Hopkins had been founded as a charity hospital in 1889. By the 1950s,

Henrietta Lacks’ Medical Records Show the Lack of Privacy

How were journalists able to view Henrietta Lacks’ medical records? What was the status of medical confidentiality and the privacy of patients? How did Henrietta’s family feel about Rebecca Skloot looking at her records? Patient records were not always confidential under federal law, even when codes of ethics required privacy. Henrietta Lacks’ medical records were viewed by her family as well other journalists. Read about the lack of privacy and Skloot’s reading of Henrietta Lacks’ medical records with Deborah’s permission.

David Day Lacks: What Happened to Henrietta Lacks Widower?

Who was Henrietta Lacks’s husband? How did she end up marrying her cousin, David “Day” Lacks? What happened to David Lacks Sr. after she passed? David Day Lacks was the husband and first cousin of Henrietta Lacks. Together, she and David Lacks Sr. had five children. Find out about David Day Lacks and his life with and after Henrietta Lacks.

HeLa Cells for Sale: Some Profit While the Lacks Struggle

If you buy HeLa cells, who profits? Has the Lacks family ever seen any of the financial benefits from HeLa cells for sale? How did companies like Microbiological Associates make money while the Lacks family struggled? HeLa cells for sale show the potentially high profit from the cells taken from Henrietta Lacks. HeLa cells’ price does not include any royalty for the Lacks family. Learn about the inequity of HeLa profits, including how HeLa cells for sale are for commercial profit and not the Lacks family.

Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks: An Unlikely Friendship

How did a science journalist from Illinois and a poor woman from Baltimore become friends? How did Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks meet? What was the relationship between the two women like? Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks met while Skloot was researching Deborah’s mother, Henrietta Lacks. The two women became friends, despite an age gap of more than 20 years. Read about their relationship, including some paranoia that made things tense at times.

Zakariyya Bari Abdul Rahman: The Troubled Youngest Lacks

Who was the youngest child of Henrietta Lacks? Why did Joe Lacks change his name to Zakariyya Bari Abdul Rahman? How did he handle the death of his mother? Zakariyya Bari Abdul Rahman is the youngest child and third son of Henrietta Lacks and David “Day” Lacks. He was born Joe Lacks and changed his name in prison after converting to Islam. Learn more about the troubled life of Zakariyya Bari Abdul Rahman.

Courtney Speed: Fighting to Improve Turner Station

Who is Courtney Speed? What did she do for the Turner Station community? How did she advocate for Henrietta Lacks? Courtney Speed is a businesswoman from Turner Station. She sought recognition of Henrietta Lacks to help raise the profile of her community. Learn about Courtney Speed, Turner Station, and recognizing Henrietta Lacks.