Public Health Global Conference

Public Health Genomics is the emerging field that makes use of the principles of both genetics and public health in an effort to move forward the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. An understanding of how genetic factors affect health informs good individual, family, and population decision-making.

Genomics in public health primarily focuses on the role of genetic variation in common diseases and how this information can be used in the designing of strategies for health promotion and prevention. It also includes the assessment of genetic components involved in chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, which usually arise due to complications involving interactions between the genes and environmental factors.

Genetic testing and screening are one of the primary areas through which public health genomics is being called upon to be functional. Coupled with advanced genomic technologies, people can be screened for diseases based on what predisposes them. Such information will then empower people to take proactive steps, such as lifestyle modification or preventive medical treatments, to limit their risk. Thus, identifying a specific genetic predisposition to heart disease may encourage an individual to eat healthily, smoke less, and become more physically active.

Another particularly important role of public health genomics is in personalized medicine. It is indeed known that knowledge of an individual's specific genetic makeup allows health-care providers to formulate effective treatments with minimum adverse effects in the patient. This approach has already proved promising, in particular, in such areas as oncology, in which targeted therapies are developed on the basis of a patient's genetic profile, leading to far more precise and thus more effective treatments against cancer.

Public health genomics also greatly facilitates epidemiological studies. It allows researchers to study the occurrence and impact of genetic diseases in specific groups of people. Thus, researchers are able to identify the patterns and trends in genes and let the public know the constructed public health policies as well as the designed intervention programs that target populations who are at higher risk of developing certain diseases.

Therefore, the improvement in the process of genomic technology will enhance the role of public health genomics in the aspect of preventive and curative measures in healthcare. It has the chance to improve the public health by offering more efficient solutions to provide better health to the population and get better decisions in the field of health depending on their genotype.