In medicine, the establishment of best practices for care is providing for more consistent and effective care. But at the same time, what works for one patient may not work for another — for example, medications may be more or less effective in different people. The causes of that dynamic are mysterious and frustrating for patients and providers alike.
This is driving a focus on delivering care that is individualized to each patient. Better patient data is helping providers deliver even more individualized care to their patients than ever before.
At our Annual Meeting next week, we’re very excited to welcome Dr. Lee Hood — co-founder and president of the Institute for Systems Biology — for a plenary session on how science can transform health care. While at Caltech, Dr. Hood and his colleagues developed the DNA and gene synthesizer, and the protein synthesizer and sequencer-four instruments that paved the way for the successful mapping and understanding of the human genome. His list of accomplishments is tremendous, and he received the National Medal of Science from President Obama in 2013.
By definition, Dr. Hood’s pioneering work is entrenched in individualized care, and earlier this year, the Institute for Systems Biology announced an affiliation with Providence Health & Services aimed at making care proactive, by seeking to reverse or prevent disease. Together they are establishing numerous research projects, focusing on areas including Alzheimer ’s disease, breast cancer and glioblastoma (brain cancer), all employing the approach of using individualized data. This partnership reflects both the continued focus on community wellness and prevention and the utilization of science to deliver individualized care to each patient.
Dr. Hood’s session the morning of October 14 will share insights into his work on the forefront of health care, and it will be one you certainly do not want to miss. It’s not too late to register, and you can click here to do so. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
Onward,
Scott Bond
WSHA President and CEO
scottb@wsha.org
