Precision medicine has emerged as a powerful platform that supports the individualization of disease diagnosis and treatment, while enabling the discovery of new precise therapies that reduce adverse outcomes and unwanted toxicities, and optimize the patient’s response to treatment. Advances in precision medicine have been made possible by the integration of novel medical technologies and approaches into the medical care of individual patients and populations. A major driver for the shift from volume-based to value-based healthcare has been the sobering reality that healthcare, as we know it today, will not be sustainable in the long term without novel approaches that help to:
- augment diagnostic accuracy and precision;
- deliver targeted therapies that improve efficacy and decrease toxicity;
- stratify populations into sub-populations that more closely align with established guidelines.
In response to these evolving forces, academic health centers throughout the United States and beyond have initiated efforts to establish precision medicine programs that span multiple domains from research and discovery to clinical and preventive medicine.
A system-wide Precision Health Initiative was deployed at the University of Arizona Health Sciences (UAHS) in 2014 to bring together stakeholders at the local, regional and national levels to advance precision health research and clinical care in Arizona and beyond, and to lead the nation in the adoption of precision medicine approaches and tools to address health disparities.
While the practice of medicine and the delivery of health care have changed dramatically over the years, we believe that the Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic Medicine provides unrivaled opportunities for ongoing innovation, productivity and discovery to guide advances in healthcare for Arizonans. Our hope is that as you navigate the website, you not only gain a deeper appreciation for the depth of talent and resources assembled at UAHS in the precision medicine space, but also an interest in learning more about other programs at the University.