Our Future Health recently partnered with The Progress Educational Trust (PET), a leading information provider for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions, to co-host a three-part webinar series. 

The free events, chaired by PET Director Sarah Norcross, saw expert guests discuss the potential impact of large-scale genomic research programmes, like Our Future Health. 

Speakers also talked about why diversity in health research is essential, and the ethical considerations that come with offering volunteers feedback and the chance to take part in further studies.

Long-term impact

The first session looked at the approaches of some of the UK’s most ambitious health research projects – including Our Future Health, UK Biobank, and Genomics England – and their impact on healthcare, research, and society. 

Speakers included: 

• Professor Dame Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer for England 

• Dr Adam Lewandowski, Deputy Chief Scientist at UK Biobank 

• Chris Schonewald, Chief of Staff and Director of Strategy at Genomics England 

• Dr Raghib Ali, Chief Executive and Chief Medical Officer at Our Future Health 

You can watch a recording of the webinar here: Our Future Health, UK Biobank, Genomics England: Exploring the Impact.

Diversity in health data

In the second webinar, experts talked about the need for real representation in health data. They highlighted why diversity in terms of ethnicity, social background, age, and sex, is a must to ensure new medical discoveries benefit everyone. 

Speakers at the event included: 

• Anika Ladva, Head of Community Engagement at Our Future Health 

• Sasha Henriques, Researcher at Wellcome Connecting Science and the Wellcome Sanger Institute 

• Professor Segun Fatumo, Professor and Chair of Genomic Diversity at Queen Mary University of London’s Precision Healthcare University Research Institute 

• Dr Divya Shanmugam, Researcher at Cornell Tech 

A recording of the webinar will be available to watch shortly. 

Feedback and recontact

The final session explored the long-term impact of Our Future Health, as well as some of the insights gained from the USA’s All of Us programme. 

Speakers discussed the balance that must be struck when it comes to re-contacting participants. For example, when, why, and how this should be done. 

The discussion featured: 

• Professor Sir John Bell, Chair of Trustees at Our Future Health 

• Dr Cosima Gretton, Executive Director of Digital Health and Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Our Future Health 

• Nicola Perrin, Chief Executive of the Association of Medical Research Charities 

• Professor Michael Parker, Director of the Ethox Centre and the Global Health Bioethics Network 

• Dr Geoffrey Ginsburg, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer at All of Us 

A recording of the webinar will be available to watch shortly.