August 27th, 2009

Family history — it’s not just for relatives any more

By: April Lynch

Family_tree_green_background

Genetic Alliance just launched a site called Does It Run in the Family?, which lets you create personalized health histories online or in booklet form. One new twist — this tool goes beyond the family.

From the Genetic Alliance announcement: “The online extension of the printed toolkit allows users to create customized materials for any group of people that has something in common, including: a family name, geography, job, culture, race or ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability or other health condition, or a shared interest.”

We haven’t taken this toolkit for a test drive yet, but it will be interesting to see how it compares to earlier ones such as My Family Health Portrait from the U.S. Surgeon General.

Chapter Two of our book looks in detail at family health histories, starting on page 43.

We’ll post some reviews later on. In the meantime, if you’ve tried the new toolkit, what did you think?

Categories: Chapter 2: Reading Your Genes

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"As you read these pages, I hope you will be inspired to explore how you might use genetic information to improve your own health."
- Catherine Wicklund, MS, CGC
President, National Society of Genetic Counselors, 2007
from her foreword to The Genome Book

About the authors

April Lynch is an author whose work focuses on health and genetics. As an award-winning journalist, she directed coverage of science, health, and medicine for The San Jose Mercury News, Silicon Valley's leading newspaper. She has also written for a variety of other organizations, including leading university textbook publisher Pearson Education and genomics firm Navigenics. Her work on the book and this blog reflects her views, and not those of any employer or organization.


Vickie Venne, MS, CGC, is celebrating 30 years as a genetic counselor. She worked in prenatal, pediatric, and laboratory settings before joining the Hunstman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. In addition to caring for patients, she has taught for the California Department of Education and the University of Utah's graduate program in genetic counseling. She has also served as president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the local affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Her work on the book and this blog reflects her views, and not those of any employer or organization.

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