"Personalized medicine: Tailoring health care in the information age"
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
7pm, Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble
Robert W. West, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Dr. Robert West, Ph.D., a geneticist and molecular biologist, teaches an
innovative course in personalized medicine to medical students at SUNY Upstate Medical University.
Personalized medicine is a revolutionary approach to medical care emphasizing a wealth of information about an individual patient to select or optimize that patient's healthcare. Two paradigm-shifting technologies have helped create the opportunity for personalized medicine and, in doing so have altered healthcare forever. The internet has given rise to the empowered patient or “e-Patient”, and the human genome project is revealing genetic factors and providing tests that provide highly-individualized medical care. These technological advances are transforming physician training and are increasing the extent to which consumer patients can and should participate in their own healthcare. Appropriate catchphrases for healthcare in the 21st century are “right medication, right dose, right patient, right time”, and “P4 medicine”, for Predictive, Preventive, Personalized, and Participatory.
