Oral

With the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2000, the number of genetic tests available has increased dramatically. Yet despite this “genetic revolution” studies have shown that the public lacks an understanding of basic genetic concepts. The medical community will need genetic counselors to translate and make sense of complicated information about risk and susceptibility that will result from these genetic tests. As genetics becomes a more pervasive part of medicine, it will be important for the public health community to educate the public about the new challenges and questions people will face because of genetic testing technology and to ensure that genetic services are properly utilized. The CDC recommends seven genomic competencies for health educators. Despite such emphasis, little is known regarding public health educators' perspectives regarding these genomic competencies. As public health educators seem reluctant to incorporate the CDC genomic competencies into practice, increasing health educators' awareness of their roles in public health genetics/genomics becomes a critical and urgent issue. Researchers and the government should advocate for health educators' understanding of their responsibilities in the intersection of genomics and health behavior/promotion. This session will also provide a summary of public perceptions about health-related research, characterize preferred methods of obtaining information, and identify the types of information about health studies that the public want to know when evaluating the value of health-related research.

Session Objectives: At the end of the session, the participant will be able to: (1) Identify at least three potential challenges in bringing scientific information to the public; (2) recognize the importance of creating an agenda and policy for the delivery of genetic education to the public; (3) Identify information desired by the public about the results of health-related research.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing