Foreword For reprint orders, please contact: reprints@futuremedicine.com Educating healthcare providers in the delivery of genomic medicine Jeanette McCarthy* ,1 & George P Patrinos 2,3,4 1 Center for Applied Genomics & Precision Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27516, USA 2 Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, Patras, Greece 3 Zayed Center of Health Sciences & Department of Pathology, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, UAE 4 Department of Pathology, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, UAE *Author for correspondence: jeanette.mccarthy@duke.edu “ The contributors to this special focus issue of Personalized Medicine are leading the way to improving genomic literacy and ultimately to the advancement of genomic medicine. ” First draft submitted: 1 March 2019; Accepted for publication: 4 March 2019; Published online: 13 June 2019 Keywords: education • genomic literacy • personalized medicine • precision medicine In the past several decades, our understanding of the genetic basis of diseases has grown exponentially. Coupled with advances in sequencing technology, this knowledge has led to the development of molecular genetic tests for diagnosing disease and identifying individuals at risk of genetic disorders [1]. Despite our ability to solve diagnostic dilemmas in children, screen for genetic disorders in utero and identify individuals at risk of hereditary cancers, cardiovascular and other diseases, uptake and acceptance of genetic testing in clinical practice remain low. Some have attributed the lack of uptake to undereducated healthcare providers and have called for improvements in healthcare professional training in genomics. But according to healthcare professionals’ opinion, genomic medicine is often not on the top of their list of concerns. There may be more pressing, modifiable risk factors to address in their patients like obesity, poverty, opioid use, not to mention chronic diseases and cancer. Some perceive genetic testing as too expensive, invalid or outside of their domain of expertise. Some providers might be unaware of how far the field has come [2]. Others, uncomfortable with their own lack of genomic literacy and skills implementing genetic testing, may prefer to defer to a genetic counselor [3]. What healthcare providers need to understand is that genomic medicine is being practiced today and will continue to permeate medicine and touch every healthcare provider at one time or another, regardless of specialty. This may not be evident if healthcare providers and/or other stakeholders are outside of a major academic medical center, but programs like the one at Mission Health System, described by Dressler et al. in this issue, serve as a model for diffusion of the latest genomic medicine innovations into the community setting [4]. Understanding genomics and genetic testing will be an essential skill for 21st century medicine. Education that addresses improved genomic literacy, development of practical skills for implementing genomic testing in the clinic and increased awareness of how genomics can be used to improve health, will best prepare the healthcare workforce for a future that includes genomic medicine [5,6]. Exactly how we educate medical professionals in the rapidly evolving field of genomic medicine is the subject of this special issue of Personalized Medicine. Authors from leading healthcare institutions share their innovative strategies for teaching providers during undergraduate medical education and beyond. These programs incorporate different strategies to engage learners in a clinically meaningful way and utilize different online platforms to accommodate busy working professionals. Some of the strategies involve personal genetic testing – offering genetic testing to the learners themselves. Ta et al. describe, among other things, how incorporating pharmacogenomic testing of PharmD students at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), USA improved attitudes and confidence about pharmacogenomic testing [7]. However, Hyland et al. surveyed undergraduate medical student education programs in genomics and genetics, and Per. Med. (2019) 16(3), 187–188 ISSN 1741-0541 187 10.2217/pme-2019-0025 C  2019 Future Medicine Ltd