Dr. Elizabeth Barnert, pediatrician and associate professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to examine how DNA is being used as a search tool to reunify separated migrant families.
The NIH-funded project builds on Barnert’s book “Reunion: Finding the Disappeared Children of El Salvador” and her engagement with the International Commission of Missing Persons, which will examine previous scenarios in which DNA data have been used in humanitarian contexts involving children. The project aims to incorporate critical voices to develop a consent protocol for using children’s DNA in reunification efforts.
Passionate about improving health outcomes for underserved youth through her clinical care and using research as a tool for social justice, Barnert's research examines children affected by violence, family separation, and incarceration.
The grant is active, with the study continuing through July 31, 2026.
