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.

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.

HeLa Cells Contamination of Cell Cultures Shocks Scientists

How did HeLa become so widespread? When many cell cultures exhibited similarities to HeLa what did scientists discover? How did the research community address the HeLa cells’ contamination of all cell cultures? Stanley Gartler is a geneticist that presented his finding that all of the most-used cell cultures were HeLa, at least in part. Gartler had discovered HeLa cells’ contamination. It rocked the research community. Find out how HeLa cells contamination occurred and how researchers like Stanley Gartler responded.

Rebecca Skloot: Introduced to HeLa Cells in High School

Who is author Rebecca Skloot? Where did she get the idea for her book about Henrietta Lacks? How did Skloot research and write the book that went on to become an HBO miniseries? Rebecca Skloot is the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. She studied biology in college and became a science reporter before writing the book. Learn about author Rebecca Skloot and what sparked her interest in Henrietta Lacks and her amazing cells.

Lawrence Lacks: Where Is Henrietta Lacks’ First Child?

Who was the first child of Henrietta Lacks and the sibling of Deborah Lacks? What happened to Lawrence Lacks? Where is Lawrence Lacks today? Lawrence Lacks is the first child of Henrietta Lacks and was born when she was just 14. After the death of Henrietta Lacks, Lawrence Lacks served in the military. Find out about the life of Lawrence Lacks.

Lacks Town: Home of Henrietta Lacks and Many Family Members

What is Lacks Town? How many relatives of Henrietta Lacks lived there? Are Lacks Town and the town of Clover, Virginia still around? Lacks Town is the ancestral farm of the Lacks family. It has a single road and is across a two-lane road from Clover, Virginia. Learn about Lacks Town and the changes to Clover since Henrietta Lacks was alive.

Richard Wesley TeLinde: Why Did He Take Henrietta’s Cells?

Who was the gynecologist that excised tissue from Henrietta Lacks? Why did Richard Wesley TeLinde want her cells? How did TeLinde use the cells for research? Richard Wesley TeLinde was a well-known gynecologist and the superior of the doctor treating Henrietta Lacks at Johns Hopkins. Dr. TeLinde was interested in the treatment and progression of carcinoma in situ, meaning noninvasive carcinoma. Learn about how Richard Wesley TeLinde’s research interests changed the course of science.

Victor McKusick: Did He Invade the Lacks Family’s Privacy?

Who was the geneticist that may have revealed Henrietta’s real name? How did Victor McKusick attempt to dupe the Lacks family? Did McKusick and his postdoctoral fellow Susan Hsu do anything wrong? Victor McKusick is the geneticist at Johns Hopkins that studied the genes of Henrietta Lacks’ family. He and Susan Hsu were working on the issue of HeLa contamination. Find out what Victor McKusick and Susan Hsu did, and whether it was legal.

What Happened to Henrietta Lacks’ Children? Life After Loss

Who were Henrietta Lacks’ children? How did they cope with the tragic death of their mother? What happened to Henrietta Lacks’ kids as they got older? Henrietta Lacks’ children are Lawrence, Elsie, Sonny, Deborah, and Joe. After her death, Henrietta Lacks’ kids were cared for in part by cousins that turned out to be abusive. Read about Henrietta Lacks’ children, what happened to them in the decades after she passed, and how the use of HeLa cells affected them.

Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield: The Litigious Conman

Who was Dr. Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield? Was he really a doctor? Was he really a lawyer? Was he really a member of the aristocracy? Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield was just a conman, who claimed to be related to Henrietta Lacks. He posed as both a lawyer and a doctor after already serving time in prison for fraud. Learn more about Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield, his cons, and his many lawsuits.

HeLa Cells, HPV, and the Future of Human Evolution

How have HeLa cells been used to understand viruses? What is the connection between HeLa cells, HPV, and cancer progression? Did Henrietta suffer from HPV-18? HPV-18 is a particularly severe form of HPV. After examining original tissue from Henrietta Lacks, HPV of this strain was found. Studies of HeLa cells and HPV can explain the fatal progression of Henrietta Lacks’s cancer. Read more about HeLa cells, HPV, and theories about immortality using HeLa cells.