At the joint ICPerMed and EP PerMed Conference in Prague, we had the opportunity to discuss with Peter Goodhand (Global Alliance for Genomics and Health) the challenges and progress of integrating genomic research into healthcare worldwide.
Short Version (1m31s)
Long Interview (6m32s)
Peter Goodhand is the CEO of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH). In our short version of the interview, Peter talks about how his journey into the field of personalised medicine began with a deeply personal crisis: his wife was diagnosed with a very rare and incurable cancer at the age of 32. It was only after consulting a world expert specialised in that rare cancer that she received the correct, individualised treatment. This tailored treatment extended her life by an additional 12 years, allowing her to witness her children grow up – a significant and life-changing outcome.
In the longer video interview, Peter discusses the challenges and progress of GA4GH in integrating genomic research into healthcare worldwide. He emphasises that healthcare is highly local by nature, which contrasts with the longstanding tradition of international collaboration in genomic research, as seen in the Human Genome Project. For genomics to truly benefit healthcare, initiatives must be embedded within healthcare systems, as demonstrated by programmes such as ICPerMed.
Read more about the joint ICPerMed & EP PerMed Conference here, where you can also watch all the other interviews and access the slides and recordings.