The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Oct. 26 held a stakeholder briefing on the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) All of Us Research Program (formerly the PMI Cohort Program), the Administration’s ambitious effort to build a million-person research cohort and significantly improve our understanding of health and disease.
During the briefing, Eric Dishman, All of Us Program Director, gave an update on the progress for building the infrastructure for the cohort, and also invited feedback from the public through a new online portal. Dishman noted that the research program will be a decades-long endeavor, but one that will hopefully provide many new insights on the interaction and importance of genes, lifestyle, and environment on a person’s health. He also stressed that the recruitment process for the cohort is focused on creating a diverse group that includes underrepresented and vulnerable populations.
The briefing also included a presentation from Karriem Watson, DHSc, MPH, MS, from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, who reviewed community engagement initiatives and requested input on how the program can be more responsible and responsive to the communities it is designed to serve.
The NIH expects to open enrollment for the All of Us Research Program in late 2016 or early 2017. Updates and further information can be found on the NIH PMI site.