258360 Getting Personal – Scientific, Ethical, Public Health, and Policy Implications on Integrating Personalized Medicine into the Public's Health

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 8:50 AM - 9:10 AM

Nelson Atehortua, PhD MPH , Program in Personalized Medicine & Targeted Therapeutics, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
David Perlman, PhD , Department of Health Policy & Public Health, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA
Amalia M. Issa, PhD, MPH , Chair Department of Health Policy and Public Health - Director Program in Personalized Medicine & Targeted Therapeutics, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA
The growing promise of personalized medicine to diagnose and provide personalized, genomic-based therapies for diseases poses unique scientific, ethical, clinical, and policy challenges for public health. Participants in this panel will discuss challenges associated with advances in personalized medicine and its integration into the nation's health care delivery and public health systems. Scientific challenges include: educating the public about the interpretation of results of genomic diagnostics; how to improve disease prevention and health promotion interventions; understanding the influence of epigenetics; ensuring a valid evidence base exists to support health professional recommendations; and oversight over claims about personalized medicine in advertising. Ethical challenges include: privacy and confidentiality of genetic information and test results, storage of genetic samples, informed consent, proper design and methods used in genomic experiments, gene patenting, and truth in advertising the benefits of personalized medicine. In order to meet these scientific and ethical challenges, a variety of policy solutions exist, namely: increasing the federal budget for (1) education of the public and health professionals, (2) translational research from bench to bedside, and (3) facilitating the integration of personalized medicine into clinical practices; establishing a regulatory body to oversee advertisements for personalized medicine; and passing laws designed to protect genetic information from improper use, disclosure, or discrimination. This panel will provide brief overviews of the scientific and ethical challenges of personalized medicine specific to public health, and engage the audience in a dialogue and discussion of possible policy solutions.

Learning Areas:
Basic medical science applied in public health
Ethics, professional and legal requirements
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Identify and evaluate scientific, ethical, legal, and policy challenges associated with integrating personalized medicine into the nation’s health care delivery and public health systems Assess possible policy solutions to the scientific, ethical, and legal challenges of personalized medicine by engaging in group discussion and dialogue with panelists

Keywords: Ethics, Genetics

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have an earned doctorate and am conducting research with the Program in Personalized Medicine & Targeted Therapeutics. The mission of the Program is to develop the evidence base for, promote informed decision-making about, and accelerate knowledge translation of personalized medicine into meaningful health outcomes. I have experience in teaching and research relevant to genomics and public health. Additionally, I have served in a leadership capacity with the Genomics Forum.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4035.0: Public Health Response to Personalized Medicine