Genomics Education and Training Needs of U.S. Health Educators: A Qualitative Study

Background: As genomics is expected to affect future public health practice, leading public health organizations/agencies have begun to require health educators develop their genomic competencies. Data from a previous study conducted by the authors indicated that US. health educators have deficient genomic knowledge. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine health educators' education/training needs in genomics.

Methods: A qualitative design framed in-depth interviews with twenty-four U.S. health educators. Interview transcripts were analyzed for recurring and salient themes, using NVIVO7.

Results: Our data indicated although nearly half (41.7%) of the sample had not received any training/education in genomics, the majority (62.5%) admitted they needed additional training. When asked about the genomics-related topics they wished to learn more about, the most frequent responses included: how to apply genomics to the work setting (45.8%) or public health areas (41.7%), how to link genomics with the occurrence and outcome of diseases(33.3%), basic genetics/genomics(37.5%), and genetic testing (25%). Additionally, the sample preferred exposure to training via the Internet (45.8%), professional conferences (29%), and peer-reviewed journals (29%).

Conclusions: This qualitative study serves as an initial step in understanding U.S. health educators' needs for genomic training/education. Additionally, our findings can help future researchers not only design and implement genomics training curricula for health educators but also determine the prevalence of training/education needs among these professionals.