One of the biggest challenges facing the rapidly growing field of genomic medicine is having a qualified workforce to implement it.
Responding to this challenge in 2016 Australian Genomics established a program to research and support national and international best practice in genomic workforce education and evaluation.
Two companion papers published in the latest edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics originate from that work.
“Genomics education is a pillar of many national approaches to implementing genomic medicine,” one of the papers says.
“Yet the effectiveness of education programs across varied international settings is not clear, and the evidence is lacking on how education contributes to the implementation of genomic medicine.”
The program aimed to support educators to design effective education programs for genomics and help them to more easily evaluate them. This work was led by Professors Clara Gaff and Sylvia Metcalfe, with Associate Professor Amy Nisselle and Bronwyn Terrill.
A comprehensive set of tools and resources is the culmination of this work, including an evaluation tool that can be used across different programs and settings in Australia and other countries.