Stanford University launches new professional education course

Imagine a world where health care is personalized, diseases are treated or even prevented before they become debilitating, and doctor's visits include regular reviews of individual genetic profiles. These are just some of the possibilities at the intersection of healthcare and genomics.

For professionals seeking to better understand and position themselves in this developing field, Stanford University announces a new professional education course, Personal Genomics and Your Health. Offered entirely online, the course is the newest elective of the Stanford Genetics and Genomics Certificate.

Personal Genomics and Your Health explores the concept of personalized medicine and the role genetics and genomics play in managing health and in predicting and preventing disease. Participants will study the general methods of acquiring genetic information for medical and consumer testing, how pharmacogenomics can provide more personalized treatment, and the use of technology to advance the field. They will also examine the challenges of bringing genomics into the clinic and the pros and cons of clinical genetic testing.

"Genomes can reveal powerful discoveries for the treatment and prevention of diseases," says Michael Snyder, Academic Director, Stanford Genetics and Genomics Certificate. "Focusing on individuals not just the illness, genomic sequencing and analysis can help shift medicine from symptom-based to a model of prevention and early treatment."

Professionals in science and medical fields as well as technology leaders and venture capitalists will benefit from taking the course, which is available online from anywhere in the world. The course is taught by faculty from Stanford's School of Medicine, a world leader in the fields of genetics, genomics and personalized medicine. Industry guest lecturers provide professional and commercial insight.

Other online genetics course topics in the Stanford Genetics and Genomics Certificate program include:

• gene therapy
• agricultural biotechnology
• genetic engineering
• stem cells
• understanding cancer

Acceptance into the online certificate program is ongoing and participants may apply through the Stanford Center for Professional Development.