4th National Conference on Genomics and Public Health (free)

4th National Conference on Genomics and Public Health:
Using Genomic Information to Improve Health Now and in the Future

December 8-10, 2010 ~ Bethesda, Maryland

The 4th National Conference on Genomics and Public Health: Using Genomic Information to Improve Health Now and in the Future is a three-day event that will highlight best practices in public health genomics today while preparing for the future. Thanks to our generous sponsors, registration is complimentary for all attendees.
The agenda will feature keynote presentations by leaders in the fields of genomics and public health, interactive plenary and break-out sessions, and scientific poster exhibits on genomics research and public health practice. Networking events are also planned for the evenings.
We welcome all who are interested to join us for this educational and networking conference.
The goals of this event are to bring together multi-disciplinary professionals from national, state and global organizations to:

• Learn more about the use of genetics and genomics for improving public health interventions to prevent and control chronic, pediatric, infectious, environmental, and occupational diseases, and provide quality genetic services across the lifespan
• Understand the landscape of genomic applications as they are being used now and best practices to follow
• Learn about new scientific technologies and methods that can be implemented now or in the near future
• Understand the implications of the globalization of public health and genomics
• Determine the best steps to take in forging the direction of our work in the next five to 10 years

Please note that abstract submissions will be accepted beginning August 1 through August 31, 2010.
Click here for more information.

full free access: Preparing for a Consumer-Driven Genomic Age Health Policy and Reform

"Advances in genomic technologies permit the simultaneous analysis of millions of variants across the genome and may soon allow for meaningful estimation of one’s risks of developing cancer, diabetes, and other common diseases. These advances are converging with the movement toward consumer-driven health care and patient empowerment. Whereas in the past, medical testing was firmly under the control of medical practitioners, genomic information is now increasingly available outside traditional medical settings. Patients are no longer subordinate, passive recipients of physician-initiated genetic testing; rather, patients can instigate their own testing and often know more than their clinicians about particular genetic topics. Indeed, health care providers are increasingly bypassed altogether, as patients embrace direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests and turn to social networks for help in interpreting their results. In the future, a primary role of health care professionals may be to interpret patients’ DTC genetic test results and advise them about appropriate follow-up. How can we maximize the benefits of these new developments and minimize the harms? How can we encourage patients’ involvement and autonomy yet establish appropriate safeguards while avoiding inappropriate paternalism? How do we promote the understanding that interpretations of genomic information may evolve as research unravels the meaning of gene–gene and gene–environment interactions and the roles of noncoding DNA sequences, copy-number variants, epigenetic mechanisms, and behavioral factors in health and disease?..."cont'd