Relationship between observer reported ancestry and genetically determined ancestry

A person’s genetic background, or ancestry, plays an important role in health and disease. Some diseases are more common in certain groups of people. For example, the gene change that causes cystic fibrosis is more common in people with European ancestry. Many studies about genes and disease now use electronic medical records. So it is important to know whether the ancestry information kept in these records is correct. This project will test whether an observer’s report of ancestry matches a subject’s true genetic ancestry determined by genetic tests on BioVU DNA samples. This information could help researchers in future studies on genes and disease.