Epigenetics, the New Healthcare Frontier Webinar, 1st December 1:30pm - 3:00pm

How Behaviours and Environment Alter Your Genes: Epigenetics, the New Healthcare Frontier

Thursday 1st December

13:30-15:00 via MS Teams. 

Register here.

Epigenetics is a rapidly developing research field that is expected to unravel the complex interplay between genes and environmental exposures relevant for health and disease. Epigenetics is the study of how our behaviours and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence. This session will explore a number of fundamental issues related to our gene inheritance and how do good genes get turned off and bad genes turned on?

The webinar will focus on exploring the work undertaken by the team at the North West Genomic Medicine Service Alliance. The NW GMSA is one in a network of seven regional alliances launched in England in January 2021 by the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) to oversee and co-ordinate the embedding of genomics into routine healthcare across England.

The webinar will explain what genomics are and what has been happening in relation to the development of the NW GMSA. Other topics will cover how genes affect a person's response to drugs, what role genomics plays in maternity and how it is fundamental to midwifery practice and reproduction. Genes are not our destiny but social determinants of health are fundamental to understanding health inequalities.

And to end, the Deputy Chief Scientific Officer of NHS England Genomics, Angela Douglad MBE, will explain why it is important to explore health-ethics and the socio-legal dimensions of genomics.

Speakers:

• Lisa Dowell, Genomics Educator, North West GMSA
• Jessica Keen, Pharmacy Lead, North West GMSA
• Waheeda Abbas, Midwifery Lead, North West GMSA
• Monaza Choudry, Patient Experience and Equality Lead, North West GMSA
• Angela Dougals MBE, Deputy Chief Scientifice Officer, NHS England

Register now.