Category: genomics
Toward Achieving Health Equity for People with Genetic Disorders

If health equity is about making sure that everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible, public health efforts to achieve health equity must include people with genetic disorders. Some might consider having a genetic disorder a health inequity itself—one present from birth and over which affected individuals have limited control. Thousands of Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsAn Evaluation of “My Family Health Portrait”: Strengths and Opportunities

CDC has hosted My Family Health Portrait (MFHP) since September 2018. Understanding current use of MFHP can help identify opportunities to improve and promote MFHP. We used Google Analytics to explore use of MFHP from Jan 1, 2019 to Dec 31, 2020. Google Analytics is a third-party tool that tracks user information, such as browser, Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsWhat should be the public health priorities in genomics and precision medicine in the next decade?

The CDC Office of Genomics and Precision Public Health is undergoing strategic planning to identify major opportunities for impact of public health action in human genomics and precision medicine in the next decade. As part of this process, we interviewed nine persons external to CDC from diverse backgrounds and organizations that represent the leading edge Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentWhat is Public Health Genomics? A Day in the Invisible Life of Public Health Genomics (an Encore)

We published this blog a decade ago. As we celebrate 2021 public health genomics week, we republish the blog to remind our readers of the relevance of genomics to many areas of public health. The topics discussed here may be outdated but the fundamental applications of public health genomics are today more important than ever. Read More >
Posted on byPublic Health Genomics Priorities Through a Health Equity Lens

Achieving Health Equity in Genomics and Precision Medicine is More Important than Ever The CDC Office of Genomics and Precision Public Health is undergoing strategic planning to identify priorities and actions for genomics and precision medicine. As we embark on this work, we are focusing on health equity. The potential for genomics and precision medicine Read More >
Posted on byPersonal Reflections on Genomics, Health Equity, and Public Health

My nephew, Eddie, and niece, Sheri, were lively, witty, high-spirited, active, bright, and full of hope. Eddie dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, while Sheri aspired to become a mathematical engineer. But their childhood diagnoses with a type of kidney disease called nephrotic syndrome ended those dreams. While nephrotic syndrome can be inherited, we Read More >
Posted on byFrom Genes to Public Health: Building the Evidence Base for DNA-based Population Screening

This blog post is a summary of our recent commentary in Genetics in Medicine. The use of genetics in population screening long predates the Human Genome Project. For more than 60 years, newborn screening has been a successful public health program that has resulted in major improvements in outcomes for infants with genetic and other Read More >
Posted on byHost Genomics and COVID-19: One Year Later

Unprecedented global research collaborations in human genomics provide a model for research in response to a pandemic. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, we discussed the role of research on human genetics in the investigation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and outcomes. We now know more about the wide variation in host response, from asymptomatic infection to Read More >
Posted on byApplications of Digital Tools for Precision Public Health in the COVID-19 Era: Where Are We?

Two recent systematic scoping reviews explore the use and limitations of digital tools in public health surveillance and their applications to the pandemic response Digital health tools offer increasing potential for substantial benefits to medicine and public health. In clinical practice, digital applications include personal wearable devices, devices within the body, and sensors that can Read More >
Posted on byTier 1 Guidelines on Family-Based Screening for Hereditary Hemochromatosis

An important function in public health genomics is to identify evidence-based genomic applications that can save lives and prevent disease. In maintaining the PHGKB Tier Coded Guidelines database, we routinely look for Tier 1 applications of genomic testing strategies that have evidence-based guidance supporting implementation in specific clinical scenarios. We only consider recommendations that have Read More >
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