Hawaii Genomics Section

10/02/2023

05/03/2023

The Queen's Health System recently expanded their genetic services from cancer to general adult and pediatric services, with prenatal services coming soon!

Being diagnosed or at-risk of developing a rare disorder can be an un-easy feeling.That’s where a medical geneticist comes in to help you through the process.This morning on Ask A Specialist,…

03/22/2023

11/28/2022

What do you do with the information once you have your family health history?

After you collect your family health history, you should try to organize it in a way that makes it easy to share with your doctor. BUT, the most important thing is that you organize it in a way that makes sense to YOU and makes information easy to find when you need it.

You can keep a written list with pen and paper, type it on a computer, or use online tools to help. One tool is the My Family Health Portrait Tool. This tool lets you add information about your personal and family health history. Then it organizes the information for you and lets you save it as a table or a family tree. You can also use this tool to check your family’s risk for certain diseases based on the information you enter. You can use this tool without worries about your privacy as it does not save any of your personal data.
Find the tool here: http://kahuna.clayton.edu/jqu/FHH/html/index.html.

This holiday season, talk to your family. Ask questions. Record the information and update it whenever you learn something new. Sometimes these conversations are difficult, but sharing this information with your healthcare provider and other relatives will help you mālama yourself and your loved ones. You and your provider can discuss ways to take action to protect your health and reduce your risk for serious conditions.

To learn more and find additional resources, click or type this link into your web browser: www.cdc.gov/genomics/famhistory/

That's all for Family Health History Month! We hope you enjoyed talking story with your family and helping each other have healthier futures.

11/23/2022

Tomorrow is National Family Health History Day!

Wondering how to start the conversation about your family health history? Here are some tips you can use to guide the conversation:

*Talk to blood relatives: It’s best to start with biological parents, siblings, and children. While all of your ‘ohana and loved ones are important, you only inherit health risks from relatives you share blood with. The more closely you are related, the higher chance you may have the same health risks.

*Be prepared to be uncomfortable: It's normal and okay for questions about sensitive health issues to bring up a lot of complicated emotions.

*Know why you’re asking: Being able to explain why you want this information will help the questions to feel less intrusive or disrespectful.

*Don’t let distance deter you: If you can’t meet your family in person, consider talking by phone, email, or video chat

Example Questions:
-Have you ever had any serious illnesses?
-When did you begin experiencing these illnesses?
-Do you know of any members of your family who had birth defects, learning challenges, or developmental differences?

This holiday season, talk to your family. Ask questions. Record the information and update it whenever you learn something new. Sometimes these conversations are difficult, but sharing this information with your healthcare provider and other relatives will help you mālama yourself and your loved ones. You and your provider can discuss ways to take action to protect your health and reduce your risk for serious conditions.

For resources on how to talk to your family and what information is most helpful to know, click or type this link into your web browser: www.cdc.gov/genomics/famhistory/

Source: https://www.mauinews.com/news/community-news/2015/01/creating-a-health-history/

11/15/2022

Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for Native Hawaiians? The second and third leading causes are cancer and stroke.

Fortunately, there are ways you can take action to lower your risk, but it starts with knowing your risk. If anyone in your family has had heart disease, cancer, or stroke, you may also have a higher risk for these conditions. The first step of lowering your risk is becoming informed.

This holiday season, talk to your ‘ohana. Ask questions. Sometimes these conversations are difficult, but sharing this information with your healthcare provider and other relatives will help you mālama yourself and your loved ones. You and your provider can discuss ways to take action to protect your health and reduce your risk for serious conditions.

To learn more, click or type this link into your web browser: www.cdc.gov/genomics/famhistory/

11/10/2022

Happy Genetic Counselor Awareness Day🧬!

Did you know that there are healthcare providers who specialize in genetics and genetic health conditions?

From helping you better understand the genetic testing process and identifying key information in your family health history to supporting you through important medical decisions, genetic counselors are available to help!

Click here to learn more about genetics services and programs in Hawaii: https://health.hawaii.gov/genetics/

11/08/2022

Did you know that November is Family Health History Month?
With the holidays right around the corner, now is the perfect time to learn more about the health issues that affect your family.

While it might not be easy, starting this conversation within our families is our kuleana (responsibility). Talking about this with your family can reduce health risks for yourself, kūpuna, aunties, uncles, and future generations.

This holiday season, talk to your family. Ask questions. Record the information and update it whenever you learn something new. Share this information with your healthcare provider and other relatives so that they may do the same. You and your healthcare provider can discuss ways to take action to protect your health and reduce your risk for serious conditions.

For resources on how to talk to your family and what information is most helpful to know, click or type this link into your web browser: www.cdc.gov/genomics/famhistory/

Keep checking our page this month for more posts about the importance of family health history!

09/29/2022

Calling all students in our state - What does Digital Inclusion mean to you?

Digital Inclusion Week is coming October 3-7, 2022. Compete in a Social Media Content Challenge to share your ideas.

We live in a digital world, but not everyone has the ability, devices, or internet connection to benefit. Create a post or short video for social media about how you see a topic working in our community, and win a Starbucks card!

Check out more details and submit all entries at www.pbtrc.org by October 7, 2022 @ 12:00AM HST.

08/26/2022

Looking for opportunities to learn more about careers in the sciences? Check out the Genetic Counseling Virtual Career Fair, held on September 20 from 6 am - 9 am HT and October 6 from 8 am - 11 am HT, hosted by the Western States Regional Genetics Network. The career fair will feature over 50 different master’s level genetic counseling training programs from across the continent, along with info from various professional groups including the National Society of Genetic Counselors. The Minority Genetic Professionals Network will also have a virtual room for you to connect with current genetic counselors and genetic counseling students! Be sure to visit the link to learn more and register to attend! bit.ly/gcfair22

06/27/2022

We have more genetic variation here in Hawaii than in many other places because we are so diverse. At the same time, we actually share 99.9% of our genetics with everyone around the world!

Even though 99.9% of our sequences are the same, there are slight differences in each person. These differences are called genomic variants. Out of the 6 billion letters in our genomes, each of us has around 4 to 5 million genomic variants! These variants could either be incredibly unique to us or show up in other people’s genomes, as well. Learn more in our polygenic risk scores fact sheet! https://go.usa.gov/xJfns