Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt Health and the University of Alabama at Birmingham have partnered to develop a genomic medicine consultation service.
The initiative aims to improve access to genomic medicine in Alabama and Tennessee, according to a June 9 news release from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The first two years of the collaboration will be funded by a $2.9 million grant from the NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute. Scheduled to run through February 2028, the total award could reach about $7.87 million.
Once established, providers can submit questions to the SouthEast Regional Genomic Medicine eConsult Service, or SEGEMS, through an integrated platform within the electronic health record.
“A team of genetics and pharmacogenomics experts will review the request and return a concise consult note with recommendations, including whether testing is appropriate, which test to consider, how to interpret results, and when a genetics referral is needed,” according to a June 9 Vanderbilt Health release shared with Becker’s.
“Many patients who could benefit from genomic medicine never make it to a genetics clinic,” Nita Limdi, PharmD, PhD, the Ray L. Watts, MD, Heersink Endowed Chair in Neurology at UAB, said in the Vanderbilt Health release. “This project is about meeting clinicians where they are and helping them make informed decisions for their patients.”
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