Abstract
This chapter reviews the emergence and progress in the field of public health genetics/genomics. Firmly rooted in two fields with a rich and disparate history (medical genetics and public health), public health genomics has taken shape only in the past 20years. Broadly defined, public health genomics is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the responsible and effective translation of genomic science and technologies to improve population health. In contrast to medical genetics, where the unit of intervention is the individual and other family members, public health genomics is concerned with the health and well-being of a whole population or community, no matter how it is defined. We review the goals and activities of public health, discuss public health essential services in the context of genetics/genomics, and give examples of ongoing priorities and activities in the field, such as hereditary cancers, pathogen genomics, precision medicine, and integrating evidence-based genomics applications into the changing landscape of community-based healthcare. Moving forward, the role of public health genomics is expected to expand due to rapid developments and applications of genomics in healthcare and disease prevention, requiring further assessment, policy development, and assurance efforts.
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