Category: precision public health
Mendelian Randomization: A Precision Public Health Tool for the COVID-19 Response
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when little was known about the natural history of the disease, predicting the course of the pandemic was of premier importance for treating sick patients and redoubling efforts to protect those at highest risk of adverse outcomes. To address this need, investigators used a study design that Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentApplications 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 by Leave a comment2020: A Challenging Year of Progress for Genomics and Precision Public Health
It is time to wrap up an eventful 2020 which unfortunately was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. From January 2020 through November 2020, we saw a major increase in visits to our website (> 2.6 million views, compared to 2 million views in 2019 and 1.2 million views in 2018). In our year end blog, Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentA Strong Start: Enhancing Newborn Screening for Precision Public Health
As the capability to sequence an individual’s genome or exome continues to expand—and the cost continues to fall—more states are considering how next generation sequencing (NGS) could support their newborn screening programs, which test approximately four million babies born in the United States each year for congenital, treatable diseases. Results from NGS can help enhance Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentPrecision Public Health and the COVID-19 Response
This blog is a summary of our recent paper in the Journal of the American Association. The public health response to COVID-19 requires a mix of general and targeted public health interventions, i.e., precision public health. Precision public health uses data from traditional and emerging sources to target interventions for populations by person, place, and Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentPredictive Analytics, Implementation Science, Precision Medicine and Precision Public Health
This blog is a summary of our recent paper based on a multidisciplinary workshop convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to explore enhancement of predictive analytics for implementation research. The use of predictive analytics in precision medicine (the right intervention to the right patient at the right time) is well established. The Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentFrom Precision Medicine to Precision Public Health: Beyond the Pandemic
Precision medicine and precision public health are emerging fields that use genomics and other big data technologies to provide more targeted interventions at the individual and population levels. Precision medicine can be thought of as delivering the right intervention to the right individual at the right time, while precision public health can be simply viewed Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentAccelerating Precision in Public Health Surveillance and Response
When our communities face a health crisis, the research, clinical, and public health worlds come together and collaborate. Public health programs drive toward prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the population, but they need the support and guidance of data-driven research behind them every step of the way. While most of the data needed to accelerate Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentUsing Digital Technologies in Precision Public Health: COVID-19 and Beyond
With the global spread of COVID-19, there is a proliferation of scientific information and publications that use novel approaches such as genomics and precision health tools (e.g., big data, wearables, and digital devices) in surveillance and epidemiologic investigations. Could these new technologies provide added value to traditional approaches? In the past, we have written about Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentManipulating the Human Microbiome for Precision Public Health: Prospects and Challenges
Spotlight on the Human Microbiome The human microbiome has a crucial role in driving public health science and initiatives towards more “precision”. In a recent viewpoint and podcast, Harkins, et al. discuss the potential and current applications for manipulating the human microbiome for disease prevention and management. The authors describe several examples of microbiome manipulation Read More >
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