Her major interest is in addressing root causes and implementing sustainable solutions regarding problems of race and racism in research, healthcare, and society.
She completed her postgraduate training in bioethics and ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) research at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the NIH, as well as training in behavioral medicine and epidemiology at the Howard University Cancer Center.
[1][2] Royal investigates race, racism, genetics and health disparities, within the United States and globally.
[1] While at the National Human Genome Center at Howard University, Royal was a member of the International HapMap Project and worked alongside Charles Rotimi of H3Africa.
[2] Royal is also a senior fellow at the Kenan Institute for Ethics, a 2020 Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Iowa, an ad hoc member of the Jackson Heart Study Community Ethics Advisory Board, and a contributing member of the 1000 Genomes Project Consortium.