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Infectious Diseases: Precision Medicine for Public Health
Until now, most medical treatments have been designed for the “average patient.” As a result of this “one-size-fits-all” approach, treatments can be very successful for some patients but not for others. Precision Medicine, on the other hand, is an innovative approach that takes into account individual differences in people’s genes, environments, and lifestyles. The Precision
Posted on byPrecision Medicine, Implementation Science and Public Health: How Do We Scale Up From 1 Million to 300 Million?
Planning for the 2015 Presidential Precision Medicine Initiative is in full swing. After the initial announcement in January 2015, several workshops were held to help in design and execution of the longitudinal cohort study of 1 million persons. The workshops covered important topics including a Building a Precision Medicine Research Cohort, Scientific Opportunities, Digital Health Data,
Posted on by 1 CommentPrecision Medicine and Public Health: Improving Health Now While Generating New Knowledge for the Future
In a previous post, I commented on the importance of a public health perspective to ensure the success of the proposed precision medicine large national research cohort. Here I offer additional thoughts on the need to balance short term public health gains with long term knowledge generation from this effort.
Posted on byThe Ultimate Selfie
Now within reach, our personal genomic sequence offers an incredible reflection of who we are, and great promise to improve human health, but there are serious concerns about embracing it too quickly. Empowered Consumers in the Era of Me If social media is any indication, we, like Narcissus of ancient myth, are surely self-obsessed creatures.
Posted on by 3 CommentsWhen a Country Cannot be a Cohort: Challenges of Implementing a Large Precision Medicine Cohort Study in the United States
The recently proposed US precision medicine initiative promises a new era of healthcare with targeted disease treatment and prevention. It prominently features a longitudinal study of a national cohort of a million or more people to customize interventions based on a person’s genetics and other factors. The long term goal of this study is to
Posted on byPrecision Public Health and Precision Medicine: Two Peas in a Pod
The 2015 US Precision Medicine Initiative promises a new era of biomedical research and its application in health care. The initiative is enabled by rapid advances in biomedical sciences, including genomics and bioinformatics, as well as the progress in communication, information technologies and data science. Targeted cancer therapies are a near term goal for
Posted on byThe Success of Precision Medicine Requires a Public Health Perspective
The announcement of a new major US Precision Medicine initiative comes more than a decade after the completion of the Human Genome Project, the ambitious project that culminated in sequencing all 3 billion base pairs of our genome. Continuous improvement in the quality of sequencing, dramatic reduction in price, and ongoing advances in multiple sectors
Posted on by 1 CommentFamily health history is a non-modifiable risk factor—or is it?
“I met three different women who had been tested [genetic testing for mutations in the BReast CAncer susceptibility (BRCA) genes] early on, in 1996, when the BRCA test first came out. They told me their family history story of mothers, aunts, uncles, and a dad who suffered from breast or ovarian or related cancers, and
Posted on byEvery Cause Needs a Champion: Jean Chabut as a Public Health Genomics Pioneer
Cham·pi·on noun \ˈcham-pē-ən\: someone who fights or speaks publicly in support of a person, belief, cause, etc. Most public health programs can point to a key person or group who was instrumental in assuring not only the program’s successful introduction but also its long-term viability. Jean Chabut was that champion for public health genomics in
Posted on by 1 CommentPublic Health Approach to Big Data in the Age of Genomics: How Can we Separate Signal from Noise?
The term Big Data is used to describe massive volumes of both structured and unstructured data that is so large and complex it is difficult to process and analyze. Examples of big data include the following: diagnostic medical imaging, DNA sequencing and other molecular technologies, environmental exposures, behavioral factors, financial transactions, geographic information & social
Posted on by 1 Comment