Precision Medicine: Incorporating Genomics Into Cutting-Edge Patient Care (KISC)

4 units

This KISC will expose learners to the many facets of precision medicine, provide an opportunity for experiential learning, and create a space to discuss the benefits and potential harms of precision medicine. Some students will choose this course in preparation for a career in pediatrics, medical genetics, hematology/oncology, nephrology, cardiology, or pathology-all fields in which precision medicine will play a role. Others will choose it to gain hands-on experience using the tools of precision medicine, which are dual-purposed as tools for biomedical research. Finally, for some students the course will be valuable as a window into social issues including advocacy, communication, diversity, equity, and medical ethics, and systems issues including health economics and biomedical innovation. Students will initially engage in interactive small group didactics to understand basic and clinical foundations of precision medicine as well as relevant social and systems issues. In wet-laboratory sessions, students will apply what they learned in class to extract DNA from tissue samples, create a sequencing library and generate genomic data. Through dry-lab exercises, they will then analyze the resulting data using bioinformatics tools. Students will spend three half-days during the rotation in a clinical setting where they will observe the clinical practice of precision medicine. Anticipated assignments include a reflective writing assignment, patient presentation, and group presentation of wet and dry lab experiences. This KISC will provide a comprehensive experience of precision medicine from the perspective of the physician, the laboratory, and the patient. This multi-level appreciation will allow the learner to approach further interactions with precision medicine with the confidence that comes from firsthand experiences.