Bridging the Chasm Between Genomic Discovery and Translation
Wednesday morning began with a presentation by Dr. Anita Kinney, a population scientist investigating topics in the area of cancer prevention and control for over 25 years with a focus on behavioral, social (ELSI) and care delivery genomics research for over two decades. Her presentation titled "Bridging the Chasm between Genomic Discovery and Translation: Communication, Behavior, and Care Delivery" discussed the intrapersonal, social, system-level and policy level issues that influence the translation of genomic-based precision prevention and health equity.
She began by explaining that precision prevention considers an individual's unique cancer risk profile based on their genome, behavioral issues, socioeconomic and cultural factors, epidemiologic factors, and community engagement. She then addressed the challenges of translating genomic testing of the individual to the population. An individual (patient) interacts with their healthcare provider, family, and culture to discuss health issues, this then expands to interactions with medical institutions and health insurance plans, and further expands to interactions with the community and policy.
Priority areas in cancer prevention, detection, and survivorship include effective communication, expanding the reach to underserved and under-represented groups, and improving motivational impact of behavior change intervention. She discussed ethics and barriers to genomic translation in AI/AN populations, including the population's mistrust of genetic research, such as privacy, misuse, and fear of stigmatizing interpretations of genetic information. She addressed the impact of the paradigm shift the field is experiencing moving away from syndrome-based testing to multi-gene testing with multi-gene panels. She discussed her research into alternative ways to communicate with rural populations with the family CARE cluster randomized trial, which asked the question: Is a theoretically-based remote personalized cancer risk communication intervention (TeleCARE) more effective than generic print on colonoscopy uptake? They found that the teleCARE intervention participants were more likely to get a screening versus participants who just received generic print on colonoscopy uptake. Dr. Kinney concluded her presentation by introducing various ongoing projects based off of her teleCARE intervention and a brief overview of the exciting new applications of epigenetics to genetic counseling.
By: Elizabeth Roden, BS | Population Health - Evaluation | Graduate Student | Sanford Research