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Genomics and Population Health Action: Join the Collaboration
In February 2017, I attended a one-day meeting of leaders of the Genomics and Population Health Action Collaborative (GPHAC). This group of more than 40 organizations and individuals is dedicated to the integration of genomics into clinical and public health programs to save lives and prevent disease. (Details on GPHAC and its membership can be Read More >
Posted on byCan we use genetic screening of healthy populations to save lives and prevent disease? Join the conversation.
On January 30, 2017, CDC held a special workshop to discuss the role of public health in the implementation of genetic screening programs beyond the newborn period. The workshop brought together panelists from the worlds of medical genetics and public health practice, including cancer, birth defects, and laboratory science. Workshop presenters and a CDC panel discussed Read More >
Posted on by 6 Comments2016: The Year of Precision Public Health!
In our 2015 end-of-year blog post entitled: “Public health genomics 2015: Looking back, looking ahead”, we predicted that 2016 will feature a more in-depth exploration of “key concepts for the development of precision public health beyond genomics to include a variety of personal and environmental data for preventing disease and promoting health.” One year later, Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentPrecision Medicine and Population Health: Dealing With the Elephant in the Room
In this week’s Journal of American Medical Association, we published a point-counterpoint commentary on the impact of precision medicine on population health. Announcement of the news of the US precision medicine initiative has been met with a range of responses from enthusiasm to skepticism about potential benefits, limitations and return on investment. In considering the Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsFive Misconceptions About the Role of Genomics in Public Health
In a recent post, I reviewed the progress of genomics in public health over the past two decades and pondered on the lingering skepticism about genomics in the public health community. I propose that this skepticism is driven, at least in part, by 5 common misconceptions about the role of genomics in public health. In Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentFrom Genes to Public Health 1996-2016: The Train Has Left the Station
In 1996, a working group from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an article in the American Journal of Public Health entitled: “From Genes to Public Health: Applications of Genetic Technology in Disease Prevention.” The agency-wide group assessed the implications of the Human Genome Project and related technologies for public health and disease Read More >
Posted on byPrecision Public Health: Reconciling Biological and Social Determinants of Health
On June 6-7, 2016, I had the honor of participating in the “Precision Public Health” summit hosted by the Gates Foundation and the White House Office of Science and Technology at the University of California in San Francisco. The summit focused on developing a global “precision” agenda to improve health and prevent death and disease Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentThe Shift From Personalized Medicine to Precision Medicine and Precision Public Health: Words Matter!
Advances in genomics and other ‘omic’ technologies have ushered in a new era variably called “personalized” or “precision” medicine, which takes into account individual genetic and other sources of variability in disease treatment and prevention. In the past decade, we have seen a significant growth in interest and usage of the terms personalized and precision Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentDoes genetic risk information improve healthy behavior? Let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water!
In a recent systematic review with meta-analysis, Hollands et al evaluated the impact of communicating genetic risk information on risk-reducing health behaviors and motivations for behavior change. The authors reviewed 18 studies with 7 behavioral outcomes, including smoking cessation, diet and physical activity. They found no significant effects of communicating DNA based risk estimates on Read More >
Posted on byDirect-to-Consumer Genetic Testing and Public Health Education
We have previously blogged about the value (or lack thereof) of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests in improving health. In a 2011 blog entitled “think before you spit” we cautioned that there was very little evidence that the use of such tests improves health and prevents disease for healthy people in the population. The blog was Read More >
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