SUNY Downstate Launches the Institute for Genomic Health
Feb 22, 2016
Program to Engage the Brooklyn Community in Better Understanding the Genomic Factors of Illness and Well-Being
Brooklyn, NY – SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University announced today that it has established an Institute for Genomic Health (IGH). The Institute is dedicated to exploring the role of genomic factors in risk and resilience to illness, under the leadership of Michele T. Pato, MD, professor of psychiatry, and Carlos N. Pato, MD, dean of the College of Medicine.
John F. Williams, Jr., MD, EdD, MPH, FCCM, president of SUNY Downstate, said, “Great strides have been made over recent years in understanding the role that genes play in determining health, but it is critical that such research includes diverse community representation if we are ever to solve the problem of disparities in healthcare delivery. I am confident that the Institute for Genomic Health will go a long way towards addressing this pressing issue.”
Institute Director Dr. Michele Pato said, “I look forward to collaborating with SUNY Downstate colleges, departments, clinicians, and researchers, as well as community leaders and lay people, to further the mission of the Institute. We want to improve the health and well-being of all people by focusing on the genetic-based risk of illness, but we also want to explore what genes and a person’s environment do to keep us healthy.”
Research by the Drs. Pato over the past 30 years has focused on genomic psychiatry with an emphasis on population-based genetic studies. They have sought to identify genetic and environmental factors that contribute to neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder.
As one of its major efforts, the Institute for Genomic Health is launching Genomic Psychiatry Cohort research at SUNY Downstate. The Genomic Psychiatry Cohort, a database of approximately 40,000 individuals, was designed to provide the necessary population-based sample for large-scale genomic studies.
“A well-recognized limitation of current genomic research is the lack of adequate sample sizes,” noted Dr. Michele Pato. “The Genomic Psychiatry Cohort aims to deal with this challenge.”
She continued, “In his 2015 State of the Union address, President Obama announced
the Precision Medicine Initiative, which seeks to take into account individual differences
in peoples’ genetic makeup, among other unique characteristics. The Institute for
Genomic Health is committed to supporting this innovative approach to medicine.”
Downstate’s Institute for Genomic Health extends research formerly conducted by the
Pato’s at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, with
which they continue to collaborate. The new research at Downstate will engage the
Brooklyn community in ongoing efforts to better understand medical disorders and how
to effectively treat them.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.