Category: genomics
Can an Aspirin a Day Prevent Colorectal Cancer in People with Lynch Syndrome?
Encouraging news for group at much greater risk of CRC Lynch syndrome (LS) is the most common cause of hereditary colorectal (colon) cancer (CRC). People with LS have a 50-70% risk of developing CRC in their lifetimes – far higher than the 4% risk within the general population where CRC is a leading cause of Read More >
Posted on byIntroducing the CDC Office of Genomics and Precision Public Health: What’s in a Name?
Starting this week, the CDC Office of Public Health Genomics will be renamed the CDC Office of Genomics and Precision Public Health. In many ways, this transition has been a few years in the making and reflects the continuous broadening of our scope from human genomics and public health to include other areas relevant to Read More >
Posted on byData Science and Machine Learning in Public Health: Promises and Challenges
In August 2019, two of us (CJP, DR) visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and gave a seminar on the promises and challenges of using “big data” for “precision public health” using the tools of “data science”. The seminar was well attended, with more than 200 participants. The audience was engaged, asking great Read More >
Posted on byGenetic Counseling and Public Health in the Era of Precision Medicine
In August 2019, the All of Us Research Program announced the funding of a nationwide resource to provide genetic counseling support to one or more million participants in the precision medicine cohort in the United States. Participants from diverse populations will share health information over time through surveys and electronic health records, and they will Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentImplementation science and genomic medicine in action: A case study
There is an urgent need for researchers and implementers of genomic medicine to incorporate implementation science into their translational research efforts. Implementation science is the study of methods to promote the adoption and integration of evidence-based practices, interventions, and policies into routine healthcare and public health settings to improve our impact on population health. But Read More >
Posted on byPrecision Medicine Update: Important Progress on the Long Road from Discovery to Population Health Impact
Impressive Pace and Potential The All of Us Research Program is an ambitious United States initiative launched in 2015 to collect health-related information on one million or more volunteers from diverse communities. A recent paper in the New England Journal of Medicine described progress and lays out the vision for the initiative moving forward. As Read More >
Posted on byCan a Healthy Lifestyle Reduce Your Risk of Dementia Regardless of Your Genes?
A large retrospective, cohort study found that a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk for dementia among people considered at high genetic risk. An active lifestyle, which includes a nutritious diet, limited alcohol, and not smoking, has long been associated with reduced risk of cancer and heart disease. In the last ten years, Read More >
Posted on byWhy should early career public health researchers pay attention to precision medicine?
In a recent commentary published in the American Journal of Public Health, I had the privilege of working with a group of early career investigators to begin a conversation about the impact that the debate between the utility of precision medicine and public health approaches is having as we begin our research careers. To begin, let’s Read More >
Posted on byThe use of polygenic risk scores in clinical practice can exacerbate health disparities in ethnic and minority populations
This blog is a summary of our recent commentary on polygenic risk scores (PRS). PRS provide a rapidly emerging example of precision medicine and are based on multiple gene variants that each have weak associations with disease risks, but collectively may enhance disease predictive value in the population. The added value of PRS is unclear Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentCan Big Data Science Deliver Precision Public Health?
This blog is a quick summary of our recent paper in Public Health Genomics. Increasingly, a large volume of health and non-health related data from multiple sources is becoming available that has the potential to drive health related discoveries and implementation. The term “big data” is often used as a buzzword to refer to large Read More >
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