Biography

Veronica Robinson,is Henrietta Lacks’ great-granddaughter. Veronica is a patient rights advocate who speaks on Henrietta Lacks’ legacy, their family's experience in biomedical research, impact on participation, and ethics in this modern era of precision medicine.     Veronica travels the country sharing The Lacks Family’s efforts to control their medical history and rebuild trust with the medical community. About which she was honored to give a 2018 TedX Talk.    

Working with the National Institutes of Health, Veronica serves as both an All of US Ambassador advocating for access to precision medicine and as a Lacks Family Representative on the HeLa Genome Data Access Working Group. As a member of this groundbreaking Working Group, she contributes to providing controlled access to the genomic data and ensuring credit is attributed to The Lacks Family in publications based on the research done with Henrietta’s DNA data. 

As a mentor for Baltimore City Public Schools, Veronica is committed to empowering the next generation. Inspired by Henrietta’s story, Veronica began her studies at Baltimore City Community College, now focused on political science to help advance health equity and social justice for all. Today, Veronica sees the first-hand impact of her grandmother's legacy on patient rights, informed consent, and patient-centered care as she works in a medical lab in Maryland.