Foundation for nationwide consensus on access to genetic information

Experts gather at Children's Mercy to find the answer

WHAT: Health privacy is a serious concern, but as genetic testing becomes more common, access to your genetic information raises questions the healthcare industry has never faced before. It is particularly important that we begin to address these questions now that genomic information is being collected to improve the diagnosis and treatment of children.

Experts are gathering at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics to begin laying the foundation for nationwide consensus on this issue at its annual Pediatric Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine Conference in Kansas City.

The conference is part of ongoing efforts of the Children's Mercy Center for Personalized Medicine and Therapeutic Innovation to apply genomic testing and clinical analytics to enhance the safety and effectiveness of medication used in children, our most vulnerable population. The center's research and clinical applications are successfully reducing adverse reactions in patients, developing genetic diagnostic tests for children, identifying medications that can cause children harm, and developing models to prevent unnecessary avoidance of medications that patients can in fact use safely.

WHEN: Wednesday, March 30 - Friday, April 1, 2011