Tufts Calls for Moderate Approach Teaching Personalized Genomic Testing

Multi-disciplinary faculty group examined ways to improve genomic education at Tufts University School of Medicine

MEDFORD SOMERVILLE, Mass., Jan. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Genetics in Medicine, the official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics, published this month a paper by Tufts University faculty calling for a moderate, strategic approach to teaching personalized genomic testing in medical school curricula.

For 16 months, a multi-disciplinary group of Tufts University faculty examined ways to improve  education regarding personalized genomic testing at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM).  The genesis of the debate centered on whether medical students should use their own  genome for educational purposes.

"We started with the basic agreement that doctors of today and tomorrow need to learn how to use genomic information responsibly and safely, and that this material was lacking in the curriculum," said Diana W. Bianchi, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology at TUSM.

"We thought that introducing a personal genetics component into the medical school curriculum would offer an exceptional opportunity for students to learn first-hand about the process, and would enable them to be trained to evaluate the analytic and clinical validity, as well as the clinical utility, of the data," says David Walt, Robinson Professor of Chemistry at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences.  Walt, a co-founder of Illumina, suggested that the Tufts medical students' own personal genotypes could serve as a backdrop for teaching issues related to clinical implementation, including the potential benefits and harms of these tests.

The faculty group conducted extensive meetings with the school's deans of education and student services to determine how the information might adversely affect students. In particular, they were concerned about the impact on student mental health if an abnormality were discovered.

"We concluded that if an institution is going to offer personalized genetic testing to its trainees, a plan should be made regarding both protection of privacy and follow-up of abnormal tests. Students should be told in advance of testing where to go for counseling regarding abnormal results, and who will pay for such counseling," explained Bianchi.

The TUSM faculty group recommended that curriculum committees explore ways of enriching educational content in the curriculum with genetics, genomics, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and sequencing using anonymous or publicly accessible genomes. Discussion of the benefits, limitations, and potential harms of such testing should be an integral part of the educational process.

"We strongly advocate that genomic analysis and personalized medicine is a necessity for modern medical school education, both to be able to translate the advances made in genetic analysis and knowledge into improvements in human health and to begin to think of diseases as disruptions in specific pathways. Our experiences illustrate that adding this material to a medical school curriculum is a complex process that deserves careful thought and broad discussion within the academic community," added Walt.

About Tufts University School of Medicine

Tufts University School of Medicine is an international leader in innovative medical education and advanced research. The School of Medicine is renowned for excellence in education in general medicine, biomedical sciences, special combined degree programs in business, health management, public health, bioengineering and international relations, as well as basic and clinical research at the cellular and molecular level. Ranked among the top in the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teaching hospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. Tufts University School of Medicine undertakes research that is consistently rated among the highest in the nation for its effect on the advancement of medical science.

About Tufts University

Tufts University, located on three Massachusetts campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville, and Grafton, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all Tufts campuses, and collaboration among the faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the university's schools is widely encouraged.

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SOURCE Tufts University