PD 03 - Precision Medicine and Population Health

The concept and practice of precision medicine took center-stage during the 2015 State of the Union address by U.S. President Barack Obama, when he proclaimed the goal of funding a national "precision medicine initiative." The stated mission of this initiative was clear: "to enable a new era of medicine through research, technology, and policies that empower patients, researchers, and providers to work together toward development of individualized treatments." The goal of precision medicine is therefore to approach disease treatment and prevention by taking into account the individual variability in environment, lifestyle and genes for each person.

This announcement and approach has led to a variety of responses, from enthusiastic expectation to explicit skepticism about potential health benefits, limitations, and return on investment. Will the precision medicine approach become a valuable ally in improving population health or will its effects be negligible?

The session specifically aims to see whether a consensus can be forged between these disparate perspectives on this contentious issue.