Episode 43: Arizona at the Forefront of New National Program on Individualized Healthcare
We do not all develop illnesses or respond to medical treatments in the same ways. Recent studies indicate that our individual genetic makeups, our varied lifestyles, and the environments in which we live and work all have an impact on how our bodies react. Dr. Ojo in UA Health Sciences is leading the UA component of a major national initiative aimed at revolutionizing how we treat and prevent disease. Under the federal Precision Medicine Initiative, UA and Banner doctors and scientists will join others around the country to collect and analyze information from one-million or more diverse volunteers, notably including American Indian/Alaskan Native and Hispanic/Latino individuals. Study participants will provide blood samples for DNA testing and data about their health histories, lifestyles, and environmental exposures, and will "have a seat at the table" in decisions about the type of research, return and use of research results. Analysis of the data will provide important new insights into factors that can be controlled to improve individual health and healthcare decisions. In this episode: Akinlolu Ojo, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., Professor of Medicine and Public Health and Associate Vice President for Clinical Research and Global Health Initiatives; Leslie Tolbert Ph.D. Regents's Professor at the University of Arizona's Department of Neuroscience