Policy & Practice

Genetics Education Seen Lacking

The development of personalized medicine is hindered by doctors' lack of education about genetic screening tests, speakers at a Personalized Medicine Colloquium said last month. Education on interpretation of genetic tests in medical schools “is not adequate yet,” said Affymetrix Chief Medical Officer Rick Hockett. Joseph McInerney, executive director of the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics, agreed that medical schools may not be preparing new doctors to incorporate genetics research into clinical practice. McInerney said there is not much research data about genetics education in medical schools, but he did cite a 2007 study of 150 medical school educators that showed 62% of respondents offered between 20 and 40 hours of instruction in genetics, but only 11% of them taught practical applications of genetics in addition to general concepts of genetics.