The revolutions in genomic and information technologies provide unprecedented opportunities to advance the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. These revolutions are best seen in the excitement around precision medicine, the essence of which is summarized in the statement: “deliver the right treatment, to the right patient, every time.” (from President Obama’s State of the Union Address on Precision Medicine, 2015)
To support and advance these revolutions, we are proud to announce the launch of the Institute for Precision Health at UCLA.
As a home for precision and genomic health activities, the institute will:
Central to this facilitation is the fostering of new collaborations. The institute will bring together faculty with a wide range of expertise, not only from the clinical disciplines, but also from the disciplines of information science, engineering, software and hardware development, human genetics, genomics, public health, social work and the social sciences.
The institute will provide leadership and strategic vision, facilitating the development of platforms for big data integration, clinical diagnostics, and patient bio-banking. Such platform-building will be necessary for the Depression Grand Challenge and other future-changing initiatives still in the earliest stages of development. Looking outward, the institute will organize inter-campus, regional and state precision health activities, as well as community engagement to ensure that diverse community voices and concerns are understood and addressed in a transparent manner.
The institute launches with the support of core faculty in interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary research, with Daniel Geschwind, MD, PhD, serving as director. The activities of the IPH will be overseen by an executive board representing the major stakeholders in all of its allied activities, including deans, health system administration, and academic leaders.
“Precision health — from mobile and community health to genomic medicine — represents the future of health care,” Geschwind said. “With this institute, UCLA will help create that future.”
As the accuracy and effectiveness promised by individualized analysis and treatment drive the future of medicine, the creation of an Institute for Precision Health is essential to catalyzing the endeavor. We are proud of the collaborative, multidisciplinary vision that makes this institute possible.
Sincerely,
