Many of us in alumni and development know that precision medicine is an important interdisciplinary horizon for the University. Fewer can define it—and that’s not surprising. Like many pioneering efforts, precision medicine is rapidly evolving. Last year, Columbia launched a University-wide initiative in precision medicine led by Tom Maniatis, chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics.
Decades in the making, the era of genomic and data-driven personalized medicine is upon us, and this has implications far beyond clinical care. Precision medicine’s promise is built upon breakthrough progress in a handful of fields, including genomics and genetics, systems biology, engineering, and data science. The more we understand about people’s DNA and the genetic profiles of diseases, the better we can diagnose, treat, and prevent illness. The better we become at collecting and analyzing data on biological systems, the better we can monitor and ensure the health of those systems. And the more we advance in all of these fields, the more we will need to address complex issues—like ethics, law, economics, and even identity—that are raised by new approaches.
As you know, our fourth One Columbia goal focuses on curation, the effort to identify, create, and distribute Columbia content that enhances alumni and donor engagement and fundraising opportunities. In this case, curation means focusing on doing more to highlight precision medicine. Sometimes this means sharing articles that appear in Columbia Magazine (the most recent issue has an article on the appointment of David Goldstein as director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine), Columbia Medicine, Columbia Engineering, or other publications reaching our constituencies. It may also entail aggregating and framing information, stories, and videos and sharing them through posts, tweets, and newsletters. The story will also be told in person, at staff gatherings, live events for alumni and prospects, and visits with donors.
Colleagues at CUMC and on the Morningside campus will be advancing the story of precision medicine in the months and years ahead. For now, check out Precision Medicine at Columbia University at a Glance and this video on the promise of genomic medicine.
