Nanibaa’ Garrison

Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Academic Personnel & Development Initiatives

(310) 206-6146

Education

PhD – Genetics, Stanford University
BS – Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Arizona

Bio

Nanibaa’ Garrison (Navajo), Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has appointments in the Institute for Society and Genetics, the Institute for Precision Health, and the Division of General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research. She is a teaching faculty for the UCLA genetic counseling master’s program.

Dr. Garrison earned her Ph.D. in genetics at Stanford University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in bioethics at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics and the Center for Integration of Research on Genetics & Ethics at Stanford University.

Dr. Garrison’s research focuses on the ethical, social, and cultural implications of genetic and genomic research in Indigenous communities. Using community-based research approaches, she engages with tribal communities to develop policies and guidance for conducting responsible genomics research with Indigenous Peoples.

Keywords
bioethics; genomics; indigenous data sovereignty; indigenous data governance; human pangenome reference consortium; genetic counseling
Selected publications

Claw KG, Dundas N, Parrish MS, Begay RL, Teller TL, Garrison NA, Sage F. Perspectives on Genetic Research: Results from a Survey of Navajo Community Members. Frontiers in Genetics. 2021 Dec; 12:734529. PMID: 34925442.

Lemke AA, Esplin ED, Goldenberg AJ, Gonzaga-Jauregui C, Hanchard NA, Harris-Wai J, Ideozu JE, Isasi R, Landstrom AP, Prince AER, Turbitt E, Sabatello M, Vergano SAS, Taylor MRG, Yu J,​Brothers KB, Garrison NA. Addressing Underrepresentation in genomics research through community engagement. American Journal of Human Genetics. 2022 Sep 1;109(9):1563-1571. PMID: 36055208.

Carroll SR, Plevel R, Jennings LL, Garba I, Sterling R, Cordova-Marks FM, Hiratsuka V, Hudson M, Garrison NA. Extending the CARE Principles from Tribal Research Policies to Benefit Sharing in Genomic Research. Frontiers in Genetics. 2022 Nov 11; 13:1052620. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1052620. PMID: 36437947.

Jennings L, Anderson T, Martinez A, Sterling R, Chavez DD, Garba I, Hudson M, Garrison NA, Carroll SR. Applying the ‘CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance’ to ecology and biodiversity research. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 2023 Oct;7(10):1547-1551. PMID: 37558804.

Madden EB, Hindorff LA, Bonham VL, Akintobi TH, Burchard EG, Baker KE, Begay RL, Carpten JD, Cox NJ, Di Francesco V, Dillard DA, Fletcher FE, Fullerton SM, Garrison NA, Hammack-Aviran CM, Hiratsuka VY, Hildreth JEK, Horowitz CR, Hughes Halbert CA, Inouye M, Jackson A, Landry LG, Kittles RA, Leek JT, Limdi NA, Lockhart NC, Ofili EO, Pérez-Stable EJ, Sabatello M, Saulsberry L, Schools LE, Troyer JL, Wilfond BS, Wojcik GL, Cho JH, Lee SS, Green ED. Advancing genomics to improve health equity. Nature Genetics. 2024 May;56(5):752-757. PMID: 38684898.

Lee SS, Walker A, Callier SL, Fletcher FE, Galarneau C, Garrison N, James JE, McLeod-Sordjan R, Ogbogu U, Sederstrom N, Smith PT, Braddock CH, Mitchell C. Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Bioethics: Recommendations from the Association of Bioethics Program Directors Presidential Task Force. American Journal of Bioethics. 2024 Oct;24(10):3-14. PMID: 39102590.

Barton KS, Porter KM, Mai T, Claw KG, Hiratsuka V, Burke W, Garrison NA. Genetic Research within Indigenous Communities: Engagement Opportunities and Pathways Forward. Genetics in Medicine. 2024 Jul;26(7):101158. PMID: 38699966.

Chang A, Huang S, Benjamin D, Schmidt J, Palmer C, Garrison NA. Exploring the role of digital tools in rare disease management: an interview-based study. Journal of Genetic Counseling. 2025 Feb;34(1):e1908. doi: 10.1002/jgc4.1908. PMID: 38741243.

Epperson AE, Garrison NA, Kim T, LeBeau M, Nez LC, Brown AF, Carson SL. COVID-19 Vaccination Access, Acceptability, and Pandemic Recovery in American Indian Communities. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. 2025 May 5. PMID: 40323814.

Halmai NB, Taitingfong R, Jennings LL, Yracheta J, Garba I, Lund JR, Curley CA, Claw KG, Taualii M, Garrison NA, Carroll SR. Indigenous Data Sovereignty in Genomics and Human Genetics: Genomic Equity and Justice for Indigenous Peoples. Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics. 2025 Apr 18. PMID: 40249967.

Find the full list of publications here

Selected Book Chapters

Garrison NA. “Evolving Consent: Insights from Researchers and Participants in the Age of Broad Consent and Data Sharing.” Specimen Science: Ethics and Policy Implications. Editors: Lynch HF, Bierer B, Cohen IG, Rivera SM (Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press, 2017), 185-200.

Garrison NA. “Informed Consent and the Ethics of IRB Research: A Case Study of the Havasupai Tribe’s Lawsuit Against Genetic Researchers.” The Academic’s Handbook. Editors: Flores L, Olcott J (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2020), 103-108.

Garrison NA, Carroll SR. Genomic Research Through the Lens of Indigenous Data Sovereignty. Race and Research: Perspectives on Minority Participation in Health Studies, 2nd edition. Editors: Heitman E, Beech BM (Washington, DC: American Public Health Association Press, 2024), 23-36.