Genetics and Genomics for Patients and the Public

Community Engagement and Community Health Resources

Photo of people at a community meeting

The NHGRI is dedicated to public engagement. In this spirit, the NHGRI supports the broader public engagement mission of the NIH, which seeks to encourage public dialogues around how NIH-sponsored research affects public health. In 2003, the Education and Community Involvement Branch (ECIB) of the NHGRI was created to develop and implement models of community engagement with a focus on genetics and genomics.

Through the ECIB, the NHGRI seeks to create models of community engagement that can strengthen relationships between the Institute and community-based organizations, and also to create bi-directional avenues of information between the two. The following are activities serving this purpose:

NHGRI Community Engagement Programs

Community Genetics Forum

The Community Genetics Forum engages diverse communities around issues related to genetics. The next Forum is currently planned for May 1, 2010, and will be hosted by the University of Utah.

Family History Demonstration Projects

These projects have created model education programs and supportive materials to educate and engage communities about the use of Family History in health care.

Community Engagement at the NIH

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Last Updated: February 10, 2012