Abstract:

         Opportunistic testing makes use of an "opportunity" engendered by some other test to which the patient is accustomed or to which she has consented, to add in other tests, possibly without her knowledge. Blood tests are a prime example. PSA testing, newborn screening, and maternal blood tests for fetal anomalies, all lend themselves to opportunistic testing. Opportunistic testing raises serious issues of informed consent and respect for persons, but the realities of clinical care may make it inevitable.

Bio:

      Dena S. Davis has her B.A. from Marlboro College, Ph.D. from University of Iowa, and JD from University of Virginia. She is especially interested in issues involving genetics and families, genetic research, and dementia. Her most recent book is Genetic Dilemmas: Reproductive Technologies, Parental Choices, and Children's Futures. After twenty years as a law professor, she is now Presidential Chair in Health at Lehigh University, in Pennsylvania. She has been a Fulbright scholar in India, Israel, Indonesia, Italy, and Sweden.