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Key Achievements for Year 1 (October 2008—September 2009)

This website is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being maintained or updated.

 

Genomics Programs Key Achievements
Family History Education to Improve Genetic Risk Assessment for Cancer

Principal Investigator: Maren Scheuner, MD, MPH, FACMG, VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, HSR&D Center of Excellence for the Study of Healthcare Provider Behavior

  • Developed an educational program to increase knowledge and influence attitudes, and behaviors of health care providers about family history documentation, identification of high-risk family history criteria, referral for genetic consultation, and uptake of genetic testing.
  • Created an intranet site, available within the Veterans Health Administration, which provides educational materials and links to information to help providers assess their patients’ genetic risk for common cancers.
  • Developed a list of key educational concepts, principles, and terminology related to genetic and familial cancer risk assessment and testing that address gaps in clinician knowledge, confidence, and abilities.
Pharmacogenomics Education Program: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Practice

Principal Investigator: Grace Kuo, PharmD, MPH, PhD, University of California, San Diego (UCSD)

  • Developed the PharmGenEd™ Web site (http://www.pharmacogenomics.ucsd.edu) which hosts continuing education materials, shared curriculum modules, an interactive program map, evidence-based resources, videocasts, and pubcasts.
  • Launched educational campaigns in collaboration with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and several organizations, including the American Pharmacists Association (60,000 members), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (30,000 members), the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (4,300 pharmacy school faculty and 48,500 students), and ReachMD (broadcasts to more than 250,000 unique listeners a week: 60,000 physicians, 169,000 nurses, and 20,000 other advanced degree health care professionals).
  • Developed two continuing education modules for pharmacists and physicians, in collaboration with 26 peer-reviewers. These modules ( “Pharmacogenomic Principles and Concepts” and “Clinical Applications of Pharmacogenomics”).
  • Disseminated program description and continuing education information at various events, reaching about 1,000 participants in live meetings. Program evaluation surveys were collected from about 400 healthcare professionals.
Promoting Cancer Genomics Best Practices Through Surveillance, Education, and Policy

Principal Investigator: Janice Bach, MS, CGC, Michigan Department of Community Health

  • Promoted and helped to increase health insurance coverage of BRCA1/2 testing in three of the 24 health plans in Michigan to become more aligned with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation.
  • Created a unique pocket risk assessment guide to help health care providers collect, assess, and act on cancer family history information. The tool provides a brief risk assessment and management recommendations that takes less than 2.5 minutes to complete. The tool will be disseminated to health care providers state wide.
  • Developed a surveillance system to collect clinical genetic counseling data on patients receiving BRCA1/2 testing. The four sites that collect these data see approximately 700 patients a year.
Oregon Genomics Surveillance Program: Translation of Genomic Applications into Health Practice

Principal Investigator: Katherine Bradley, PhD, RN, Oregon Department of Human Resources

  • Set up a genomics surveillance program, using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), Medicaid claims, Oregon State Cancer Registry, and genetics services data, to monitor awareness, knowledge, and use of cancer-specific evidence-based genomic tests and family history among health care providers and the public.
  • Collaborated with CDC and genomics programs in Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, and Connecticut to develop questions on CRC family history and genetic counseling and testing. Questions on genetic discrimination were also developed. These questions went through extensive pilot testing and are currently part of the 2010 BRFSS.
  • Presented preliminary descriptive results on the relationship between family history and colorectal cancer at the Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention Network (GAPPNet) meeting, October 2009, in Michigan.
  • Contracted with the Survey Research Lab at Portland State University to survey Oregon health care providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and use of cancer genomic tests to see how familial cancer risk influences Oregon health care practice.

 

Genomics Research Key Achievements
Risk-Benefit Framework for Genetic Tests

Principal Investigator: David L. Veenstra, PhD, PharmD, University of Washington

  • Developed a Web-based framework for clinicians and policymakers to assess the potential benefits and harms of new genetic tests.
  • Held a multi-stakeholder consensus development workshop in Seattle to evaluate optimal approaches for quantitative risk-benefit analysis of genetic tests.
  • Published a manuscript in Journal of Public Health Genomics (Roth et al, in press) describing the outcomes of the stakeholder meeting.

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