Category: public health
Applications 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 byReducing the Global Public Health Burden of Familial Hypercholesterolemia: More Work Ahead
In our previous blog, we discussed familial hypercholesterolemia as a prototype for “precision public health” and how the combination of public health and genetic approaches can contribute to raising awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of more than 1 million individuals in the United States with this relatively common genetic condition. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an underdiagnosed Read More >
Posted on byGenomic Medicine Year in Review 2019: What’s Hot for Public Health Impact?
Advances in genomic medicine continue at a fast and steady pace. In a recent paper, The Genomic Medicine Working Group of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research of the National Human Genome Research Institute identified the most significant advances in genomic medicine among 48 recognized “accomplishments” published during the 12 months ending August 31, 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 CommentPerspectives from a state genetics coordinator: Public health’s role in addressing familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) in the United States
For several years I have pondered what should or could be the state public health agency role in addressing FH. Most of my public health genetics colleagues were actively working on other CDC-labeled tier 1 conditions, such as Lynch syndrome (LS) and Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer syndrome (HBOC). While few, if any, of my Read More >
Posted on byTrends in CDC Publications in Public Health Genomics, 2012-2016
Public health genomics advances the translation of genome-based discoveries into disease prevention and population health. Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are using information about human, vector, and pathogen genomes to tackle diverse public health problems, from newborn metabolic disorders to infectious disease outbreaks. For an overview of CDC publications in Read More >
Posted on byPrecision Public Health: More Precision Ahead for Individual and Population Interventions
In August 2016, we published a point-counterpoint viewpoint asking a crucial question that has been on the minds of researchers, health care providers and the public health community: “will precision medicine improve population health?” We understood that we were tackling “the elephant in the room” and hoped for reactions to this viewpoint. We were pleased Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsDirect-to-Consumer Genetic Testing and Public Health Education
We have previously blogged about the value (or lack thereof) of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests in improving health. In a 2011 blog entitled “think before you spit” we cautioned that there was very little evidence that the use of such tests improves health and prevents disease for healthy people in the population. The blog was Read More >
Posted on byGenomic discoveries to clinical applications: Are we reaching an inflection point toward precision medicine?
Each year at the annual American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) meeting I follow certain rituals. During the first “poster session”, I quickly peruse all of the vendor booths on the floor to assess something of the overall flavor of the commercial space’s focus. During the next two poster sessions I cruise all of the Read More >
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. Read More >
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