Vancouver, BC — The way we deliver and receive health care is changing rapidly. Advancements in genetic and genomic technologies have opened the door to health care that is tailored to a person’s genetic makeup – a practice called ‘precision health’.  Precision health has gone from being a service offered at specialized clinics to an essential component of everyday health care. However, this integration is hindered when there is limited genomic knowledge among health care providers and educators.  

To bridge this gap, Genome British Columbia (Genome BC) is funding a pilot project to integrate genomics education into the new Master of Nursing - Nurse Practitioner program at Thompson Rivers University (TRU). The project is a collaboration with UNBC with  additional expertise from the University of British Columbia (UBC). This is the first initiative in Canada to integrate precision health concepts and genomics education into nurse practitioner training for both students and faculty.  

Genome BC’s Genomic Education for Health Professionals (GEHP) program is the first initiative designed to strengthen the skills of health care workers in genomics. It was developed after a lack of resources to educate health professionals was identified as a major obstacle to using genomics in clinical care.

Through this project, nurse practitioner graduates and faculty will acquire the knowledge and skills to support the appropriate use of genetics and genomics in any community in the province. A crucial aspect of this project is extending the benefits of genomics to regions in British Columbia often neglected due to social and geographical reasons.

Members of the Department of Medical Genetics and the Faculty of Education at UBC will collaborate on the development of online learning materials with contributions by the faculty and students from UNBC's Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner Program. Dr. Catharine Schiller, Chair of UNBC’s School of Nursing, says, “Our nurse practitioner faculty and students are looking forward to participating in this novel pilot project and contributing to improved health equity in BC.”