Oral

This panel of complementary speakers addresses key public health research and policy questions from several interdisciplinary perspectives. We will address current scientific progress in the field and its potential clinical and policy impacts, impact on public health of direct-to-consumer testing (such as education of providers, interpretation of test results, translation of information into useful health interventions), the industry perspective on incorporating genomic information into screening and treatment strategies, and the potential for health disparities in the widespread clinical adoption of genetically-targeted therapies, including the ethical, legal and social issues. The panel addresses questions critical to public health genomics research such as: What are the factors that are facilitating and the barriers that are impeding the clinical adoption of pharmacogenomics into personalized medicine applications? Does the use of genetically targeted therapeutics widen or lessen the health disparities gap? The extent to which a future of personalized medicine will be achieved is bound up in the answers to these, and related, questions. The public health community needs to address these types of challenges in order to advance research on emerging technologies

Session Objectives: Describe the issues related to direct-to- consumer testing. Compare the industry perspective with the public health community perspective. Identify the issues related to potential health disparities raised by the emergence of personalized genomic medicine.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)