Category: genomics
2016: 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 CommentFrom One Hundred Thousand Genomes in the United Kingdom to Millions of Genomes in the United States: What Lessons Can we Learn?
In recent years, the United Kingdom (UK) has made a major commitment to developing a large scale population cohort study (100,000 genome project), linking high quality genomic sequence data to electronic health record information for the purposes of scientific discovery and clinical care improvement. The plan is for this project to continue well into the Read More >
Posted on byHappy Thanksgiving: Collect & Act on Your Family Health History
As you celebrate Thanksgiving with your family this November, remember that this special day is also National Family Health History Day. Family health history is important to your health and can help you detect unique disease risks and manage them before becoming sick, or find the right diagnosis and treatments when you have a certain Read More >
Posted on byWhat Gets Measured Gets Done: Public Health Progress in Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Just 4 years ago, one of us (MJK) co-chaired the Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) Foundation’s first FH Global Summit: Awareness to Action held in Annapolis, Maryland. The Summit brought together people from academia, government, the private sector, clinicians, as well as patients with the ambitious goals of raising awareness of FH, identifying key knowledge gaps, and Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentThe Cancer Moonshot, Hereditary Cancers and Population Genetic Screening
In September 2016, the Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel delivered a report with 10 ambitious recommendations to shape cancer research for the next five years. One recommendation is to “expand use of proven prevention and early detection strategies.” [PDF 199 KB] There is a lot we can do to prevent cancer now— even with no Read More >
Posted on byFive 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 >
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