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NC Task Force for Genomics and Public Health

Epidemiology Working Group

Mission, Membership, and Initiatives

Status Report

Prepared by Sarah Nelson

Epidemiology and Surveillance Work Group: December 3, 2004

Contents:

• Mission Statement
• List of Work Group Members
• Summary of Group Initiatives
• Report on Database Initiative
• Report on Symposium Initiative

Appendix A: Member Contact Information
Appendix B: Minutes/Notes of past meetings

1. Mission

The mission of the Epidemiology and Surveillance Work Group is to promote the use of epidemiological methods, resources, and expertise to optimize the impact of genomics on public health in North Carolina. This includes continual monitoring of advances in genomic science and their application to public health, and a commitment to increasing interaction and communication between genomic scientists and epidemiologists.

2. Work Group Members (for contact information, see Appendix A)

Steve Cline , Epidemiology Section
Carol Dukes Hamilton (co-chair), Duke University Medical Center, NC Cancer Registry
Debra Irwin , NC Institute for Public Health/UNC-CH
Judith Lessler (co-chair), Partnership for Genomics and Epidemiology/ RTI International
Stephanie London , National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Kari North , Department of Epidemiology/UNC-CH
Ines Pagan , US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment
Mary Speer , Center for Human Genetics, Duke University Medical Center
Christine Stevens , Western Carolina University
Donna Spoon (coordinator), Office of Genomics
Sarah Nelson (research assistant), Office of Genomics

3. Initiatives

3.1 - Creation of a Resource Database describing incidence, prevalence, life years lost, and mortality of targeted diseases, including estimates of known gender or racial/ethnic disparities.

3.2- Organization and hosting of a Symposium in the Spring of 2005 on the theme Genetic Epidemiology: Application to Public Health and Research Opportunities in North Carolina . The conference will serve as a forum for sharing new ideas and disseminating the most recent research findings.

4. Creation of Resource Database

4.1- Goals:

4.1.1 Identify a list of diseases with high public health burden likely to be influenced by the growing understanding of genomics.

4.1.2 Create a database of the diseases, listing incidence, prevalence, mortality, life years lost, and known gender or ethnicdisparities associated with the disease.

4.1.3 Using current literature searches identify any known and/or suspected gene-disease associations and describe the current status of genetic testing available.

4.1.4 List and characterize any existing databases of people with the disease phenotypes

4.2- Status of Goal 1:

Draft List of target diseases created: diabetes (types I and II), asthma, cancer (colorectal, breast and ovarian, and prostate), infectious diseases (tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, and AIDS, cardiovascular disease (coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and hypertension), obesity, and mental health (depression, Alzheimer’s, alcoholism, drug use, and violence).

4.3- Status of Goal 2:

Pilot version of database created in spreadsheet format. Entries created for colorectal cancer, breast and ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer, with statistics gathered from NCI’s SEER review and NC’s Center for Health Statistics. Incidence and mortality rates given for both the US and NC.

4.4- Status of Goal 3:

Preliminary literature searches performed for asthma, cardiovascular disease, obesity, type II diabetes, and all 3 cancers. Article citations and summaries compiled in table format. Gene-disease associations and available genetic testing information for breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer included in pilot version of the spreadsheet.

4.5 Status of Goal 4:

Relevant public databases have been identified for cancer. Links

to the North Carolina Cancer Registry appear in the pilot version of the spreadsheet. Steve Cline will work with Sarah Nelson and Donna Spoon on compiling a resource database (separate from disease database), listing and characterizing various existing disease databases that may be of use to researchers in genetic epidemiology. The vision for this database is of a ‘living compendium’ that would supply researchers with information on how to access said databases.