Social science: Include social equity in California Biohub

We have an idea for philanthropists Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, who last month announced their first major investment in basic science: US$600 million for a Biohub in San Francisco, California.

They aspire to 'advance human potential and promote equality' (https://chanzuckerberg.com). As members of the Science FARE (Feminist Anti-Racist Equity) collective, we suggest that 5–7% of the Biohub's health-research budget should be used to design and monitor goals of justice and equality from the outset. Otherwise, social inequalities could limit the project's potential.

Innovative social scientists will need to work with bench scientists, engineers and clinical researchers. Health research should include trained people from all social backgrounds and a variety of disciplines.

The affordability of treatments and access to them is crucial, irrespective of class, gender, race or disabilities. Building equality into Biohub's founding architecture will allow it to be tackled simultaneously with disease eradication, mitigating the uneven social distribution of health care in San Francisco's Bay Area and beyond.

Image via C-Z BioHub