Society + Technology at UW is pleased to host the next After Hours conversation in Tacoma, Living “At Risk” with anthropologist Lisa Hoffman (Urban Studies, UW Tacoma) and computer scientist Josh D. Tenenberg (Engineering, UW Tacoma) in conversation about the stakes, technologies, and stories of high risk.
What if you’re living with “high risk” for future disease? Maybe it is a genetically identified risk, maybe it is family history risk. What do you do with that knowledge—and who decides what disease risk means and how you should live?
Monday, May 18, 2026 | 5:30 PM
Peaks & Pints Taproom (21+ only)
3816 N. 26th Street
Tacoma, WA 98407
Topics include:
- What does it mean to live with a “high” disease risk in our contemporary moment—and how does it differ from earlier formations of “risk factors”?
- How genetic risk scores are shaping screening, reproduction, and everyday decision-making
- Who interprets risk data? What is at stake in continuous recalculations of risk with new technologies?
- What happens when you resist or refuse?
Faculty, students, community members, and curious citizens are welcome. Free and open to the public. No registration required.
About Lisa Hoffman
Lisa Hoffman is a Professor in the School of Urban Studies at UW Tacoma. An anthropologist, Hoffman’s current research focuses on Seattle’s biotech community, precision medicine, and the shape of contemporary practices of living in relation to genetic risk. Her work offers attunement to place, power, and subjectivity. Previously, Hoffman’s major projects included work on professionals and volunteers in contemporary China.
About Josh D. Tenenberg
Josh D. Tenenberg is a Professor in the Department of Engineering at UW Tacoma. His expertise is in what he calls the “borderlands” of technical and humanistic approaches. Trained in computer science, Tenenberg’s empirical research has been about computing and engineering education, software development, human-computer interaction, design research, semiotics, and technical communication. His publications include Narratives of Qualitative Research: Making Praxis Visible, published by Routledge (2024). He teaches human-oriented aspects of computing at the undergraduate and graduate levels.