We are pleased to offer another new pgEd lesson to start the new academic year: “Protecting Athletes with Genetic Conditions.“ This lesson is designed to get students thinking and writing about sickle cell trait, and what screening can mean to athletes and their families, teammates and coaches. Sickle cell trait and sports has been in the news this past week. NFL player Ryan Clark cannot play football when his team – The Pittsburgh Steelers – plays at Mile High Stadium in Denver Colorado. Why can’t a person with sickle cell trait play a game like football at high altitude? Check out our lesson plan!
Below are a few links about Ryan Clark – they could serve as a nice intro to the lesson. And while the lesson does stand alone, we have used it successfully in conjunction with the “Athletes, sports, and personal genetics: What are the ethical and scientific questions?” piece we developed in 2011.