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.

Immortal Cells: Scientific and Spiritual Reasons for HeLa

How can a cell be immortal? What is it about Henrietta Lacks’ cells that made them able to stay alive? How did the HeLa cell line revolutionize research but kill Henrietta Lacks? The immortal cells are cells taken from Henrietta Lacks that do not die in the laboratory. The cells continue to reproduce indefinitely, which is why the HeLa cell line is still in use today. Read more about the immortal cells that are laboratory versions of Henrietta Lacks’ cells.

Deborah Lacks Pullum: A Life in the Shadow of HeLa

Who was Deborah Lacks Pullum? How did her mother’s death and exploitation affect her? Did Deborah Lacks ever get anything for the HeLa cells taken from her mother? Deborah Lacks Pullum was the fourth child of Henrietta Lacks and David “Day” Pleasant. She was the only daughter to survive to adulthood. Her efforts to find out more about her mother combined with other struggles gravely affected her health. Read about the life of Deborah Lacks Pullum, who struggled while others profited off the cells taken from her mother.

Bobbette Lacks Never Knew Her Mother-in-Law, Henrietta Lacks

Who was Bobbette Cooper Lacks? How did the death of Henrietta Lacks affect Bobbette and her relationship with Lawrence? How did Bobbette Lacks help the younger Lackses? Bobbette Lacks is the wife of Lawrence Lacks, son of the late Henrietta Lacks. Bobbette took in Lawrence’s younger siblings who were living in an abusive home after their mother’s death. Learn more about Bobbette Lacks and her perspective on Henrietta’s treatment.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Summary

What can you learn from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks summary? Was Henrietta Lacks just an unfortunate patient? How did her cells impact science forever? What happened to her family? The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a book that tells the story of HeLa cells and where they came from. It also sheds light on the inequalities and ethical issues in medicine and research. This Henrietta Lacks book summary highlights the important takeaways. Learn what happened with this The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks summary.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Timeline of Events

What happened during the life of Henrietta Lacks? What was the aftermath of the collection and use of her cells? What is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks timeline of key events from the book? The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of a woman whose cells were taken without permission and continue to be used for profit. This Henrietta Lacks timeline explains what happened to Henrietta Lacks and her cells. Learn more about the aftermath of her death and getting recognition for her contribution to science in the Henrietta Lacks timeline.

Johnny Pleasant: The Widowed Father of Henrietta Lacks

Who was the father of Henrietta Lacks? How did John Randall Pleasant handle his large family after his wife died? Why did Johnny Pleasant move the family away from Roanoke? Johnny Pleasant was the father of Henrietta Lacks and her nine siblings. His family lived on the Lacks family tobacco farm near Clover, Virginia. Learn about Johnny Pleasant and his large extended family.

Chester Southam Secretly Injected People With Cancer Cells

Why do people have give informed consent before participating in a research study? Is it in part because of Chester Southam’s experiment? How many people did Dr. Chester Southam inject with live cancer cells? Chester Southam was a researcher at Sloan-Kettering who studied HeLa cells to see if you could get cancer from contact with the cells. Chester Southam’s experiment injected live cancer cells into people, many times without their permission. Learn about Dr. Chester Southam and his unethical research, including what happened to him when people found out.

Roland Pattillo: The Doctor Behind Henrietta Lacks Day

Why does the city of Atlanta have a Henrietta Lacks Day? Who is the doctor that advocated for that recognition? Where is Dr. Roland Pattillo now? Roland Pattillo is a gynecologist that organized the first HeLa conference. He was also one of the few African-American students that studied under the doctor that responsible for the spread of HeLa cell cultures. Learn more about Roland Pattillo and his efforts to recognize Henrietta Lacks.

Voluntary Consent in Medical Research: The Murky Situation

What makes it ethical to perform experiments on people? How does a doctor get permission to take blood or tissue samples from a patient? What type of voluntary consent or informed consent is needed? Voluntary consent is when a person willingly participates in a procedure or experiment. Informed consent in research requires the person to know what they’re agreeing to as opposed to just agreeing to do something. Read more about the issue of voluntary consent for Henrietta Lacks and informed consent in research using her cells.

Henrietta Lacks: Ethics Questions Raised by Use of HeLa

What ethics issues were raised by The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks? Did researchers have Henrietta Lacks’ consent to use her tissue? How have standards changed? In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, ethics are an important discussion. Henrietta Lacks’ informed consent was not considered in using her tissue for HeLa. Read about consent in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, ethics questions raised, and current informed consent requirements.