UTEP Welcomes National Institutes of Health’s ‘All of Us Journey’
Last Updated on December 04, 2018 at 12:00 AM
Originally published December 04, 2018
By UC Staff
UTEP Communications
The University of Texas at El Paso and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health will host the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program traveling exhibit — the “All of Us Journey.” The event starts Thursday in front of the Undergraduate Learning Center.
The event is part of a national effort to create a research resource to inform scores of health studies and learn about a wide range of health conditions.
The traveling, hands-on exhibit raises awareness about the “All of Us Research Program — an ambitious effort to gather data from 1 million people living in the United States.
The information collected will be used to advance individualized prevention, treatment and care for people of all backgrounds. People ages 18 and older, regardless of health status, will be able to enroll and share information for research.
“UTEP is honored the National Alliance for Hispanic Health has chosen El Paso as an important stop for the ‘All of Us Journey’ national tour,” said Robert A. Kirken, Ph.D., dean of UTEP’s College of Science and principal investigator of UTEP’s Border Biomedical Research Center (BBRC). “More importantly, because they are focused on the health of Hispanics, who constitute 17 percent of the entire U.S. population. As a majority minority population (83 percent Hispanic), El Paso is key, as it is a window into the rapidly growing population of Mexican-Americans, who comprise over 35 million of the country’s Hispanics. This is important as there is minimal participation of ethnic minorities in biomedical, behavioral or social science research. Participation in research studies and clinical trials has tremendous implications for drug therapies and interventions which can make a huge difference in the health outcomes of our community. Our goal as health research scientists is to find ways to improve the quality of life of our community.”
Health data collected from participants through the All of Us Research Program will be stored in a database. Approved researchers can access this data to explore how factors such as environment, lifestyle and genetic composition can impact health. This may help develop new medical treatments that are unique to individuals, and enable a future of precision medicine – healthcare that is based on an individual. The All of Us Research Program is part of the Precision Medicine Initiative, which considers factors such as where you live, what you do, and your family health history when delivering care.
“To continue our work to increase the inclusion of Hispanics in clinical and biomedical research, we are bringing the All of Us Research Program to our communities,” said Jane L. Delgado, Ph.D., president and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. “The participation of diverse communities in All of Us will help build the foundation for a new era of health care where medicine is tailored to each person.”
Enrollment in the program is open to all eligible adults who live in the United States. No health insurance is required and there is no cost of any appointments scheduled as part of the study. Spanish-speaking advisors are available. Individuals interested in joining can begin the application process on the All of Us website.