Public health genomics information is now easily accessible online

The amount of emerging genomic information related to healthcare and public health is staggering. PHGKB is a one-stop shop for information relevant to genomics translation and population health impact for almost all diseases across the life span. MyPHGKB allows end users to customize their own PHGKB databases and type of information.

The Public Health Genomics Knowledge Base (PHGKB), created by CDC’s Office of Public Health Genomics (OPHG), is an open-access, web-based, searchable information system. PHGKB systematically curates and updates information that bridges population-based research on genomics with clinical and public health applications. OPHG recently launched MyPHGKB, a new informatics tool that enhances PHGKB capacity. MyPHGKB allows end users to create their own PHGKB sites and customize functions based on their choices of PHGKB databases and topics of interest.

PHGKB, which started as a partnership with the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute provides a variety of information, including scientific literature from PubMed captured by weekly horizon scans, CDC genomics-related web information, and other relevant web-based resources subject matter identified through searching the internet.

PHGKB contains a series of tools, including MyPHGKB, and several databases:

• CDC Information Database
• CDC-Authored Genomics Publication Database
• Genomics & Health Impact Scan Database
• Tier Table Database
• Advanced Molecular Detection Clips Database
• HuGE Literature Finder Database
• Variant Name Mapper Database

Features Tailored for MyPHGKB End Users

• Users can select daily or weekly email notifications when new information is available, based on their preferences.
• Users will receive daily email alerts containing hot topics that domain experts pick on public health and genomic insights into specific diseases and health-related topics.

Numbers at a Glance

• PHGKB has had  more than 480,000 page views, and 70,000 unique users, thus far.
• Since inception of MyPHGKB in July, 2017, >160 users have signed up.

PHGKB and MyPHGKB offers researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and the general public a way to find information they need to understand the complicated landscape of genomics and population health, and has become an important information resource for public health genomics community.

Beth N. Peshkin, MS, CGC, Professor of Oncology, Georgetown University relies heavily on PHGKB, and states, “I rely on the weekly updates to keep current on issues that may affect my research and which are relevant to the courses I teach in genomics, ethics, policy, and nursing.”

“Knowledge is indeed power,” said Dr. George Mensah, Director of the Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science at the National Institutes of Health.  “A crucial value of PHGKB is in providing timely knowledge to help turn genomic discoveries into strategies for disease prevention, detection, treatment, and control for maximal population health impact,” Dr. Mensah added.

The scientific description of the PHGKB project was published in Genetics in Medicine and was presented at the APHA 2017 Annual Meeting on November, 7, 2017.

To learn more about PHGKB and MyPHGKB, register for the OPHG training courses (November 28 and 30), MyPHGKB, an Informatics Tool for Genomics and Population Health Impact Information.

As always, we appreciate the comments and input of our readers to enhance PHGKB and other services provided by the Office of Public Health Genomics.

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