NHGRI's Oral History Collection: Interview with Elke Jordan

Elke Jordan, Ph.D. was Deputy Director at the National Human Genome Research Institute from 1988-2002, almost the entirety of the Human Genome Project. Dr. Jordan’s invaluable oral history documents significant turning points in the project’s story including the strategic establishment of the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) research program, and the rise of Celera, the company that spurred the race to complete the first human genome sequence.

Questions asked in this interview:
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01:28 - What was Johns Hopkins like when you were there?
02:32 - How did GenBank come about?
04:24 - What were you involved in at NCI?
05:20 - What were you involved in at NIAMS?
06:16 - What types of specialists were recruited at the time?
07:00 - How did you become involved in the Human Genome Project?
10:12 - What was your reaction to (James) Watson being appointed the head?
10:52 - How did the work actually go?
11:41 - When did you meet Mark Guyer?
13:34 - How would you describe Ruth Kirschstein?
15:10 - Was there a single thing that got her (Kirschstein) to support the Human Genome Project?
16:37 - When did Bettie Graham come onboard?
17:08 - What did you make of Watson's departure?
18:41 - Did Bernadine Healy support the Human Genome Project?
20:01 - What was your reaction when you first heard about ELSI?
22:41 - What was Nancy Wexler's role?
23:31 - What was Eric Jeungst's role?
24:37 - What were your first impressions of Francis Collins?
27:51 - What were some major milestones after Francis came onboard?
32:43 - Were there debates within the public project?
33:34 - Before Francis came onboard, who was responsible for vetting Director candidates?
34:51 - How would you sum up Bernadine Healy?
36:23 - How would you describe Michael Gottesman?
38:50 - What were your first impressions of Eric Lander?
41:51 - Was there a conflict with Celera? Was there collaboration?
43:47 - What was your perception of science journalism during the Human Genome Project?
46:47 - Was there a group in the public project against public access to data?
47:44 - What were the roles of Ari Patrinos and the Department of Energy?
52:04 - How were the major sequencing centers selected?
54:56 - What is a 'site visit'?
57:20 - How did (Francis) Collins mediate the stress and pressure of the (Human Genome) Project?
58:16 - How important was having a goal-oriented structure?
58:56 - Was there a point at which the Project started to seem achievable?
59:52 - What was your sense of what was accomplished in 2001?
01:00:48 - In 2001, did it seem like there was utility with a whole sequenced genome?
01:02:51 - Do you see people potentially using genomic data to further deterministic notions of race and ethnicity? Is that concern overblown?
01:07:53 - What skills do young biologists need to have today?
01:11:37 - How were the 5-year plans conceptualized?