Making Genetics Part of Everyday Medicine

Description

A person’s genetic makeup can often tell doctors about their health, what diseases they may have and how properly treat a disease. However, few physicians know how to use genetic data for diagnosis and treatment plan. Dr. Ada Hamoush, the Dr. Frank V. Sutland Professor of Pediatric Genetics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, will talk about the issues surrounding integrating genetic diagnoses into treatment on Monday, August 12 at 7 p.m. at the Jesup Memorial Library. This talk is co-sponsored by The Jackson Laboratory and is part of the Primary Source Speaker Series. The theme of this year’s talks at the Jesup is “Getting Personal: How Your Genes are Shaping the Future of Healthcare.”
 
Dr. Hamoush will specifically discuss the ethical, legal and social issues involving genetic diagnosis in the treatment of cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects more than 70,000 people worldwide. Since 2002, she has served as clinical director of the IGM and scientific director of the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man® (OMIM), a catalog of more than 12,000 human genes and genetic disorders created by Dr. Victor A. McKusick. Dr. Hamoush’s research centers the molecular basis of these disorders and the integration of genetics into clinical practice and the diagnosis and management of these diseases. She began her genetics career focusing on cystic fibrosis, serving as coordinator of the International Cystic Fibrosis Genotype-Phenotype Consortium. She served as chair of the Maryland State Advisory Council for Hereditary & Congenital Disorders from 2001 to 2009, during which time she also served on the executive committee of the Genetic Counseling Training Program, run by Johns Hopkins University and the National Human Genome Research Institute.
 
For more information on this talk visit jesuplibrary.org/primarysource or call 207-288-4245.