“Genetic testing will provide patients with greater ownership over their health decisions but it’s important that they are well informed before they make major decisions based on these tests.
“ MOOC are a great way to increase the health literacy of a global audience and their understanding of how genetic testing is currently being used to guide treatment of diseases.”Fellow course lead, UNSW’s Dr Orin Chisholm, is urging health practitioners to enrol in the course.
“Despite the last 10 years having yielded significant and rapid advances in our understanding of the human genome, so many healthcare professionals did not learn about this in their training,” Dr Chisholm says.
“Yet some will be faced with making difficult decisions regarding their patient’s health such as counselling a patient about an unexpected genetic finding.”
Course enrolments to date demonstrate the wide appeal of the topic. Students from 18 to 80 years old have enrolled including those who did not complete high school through to PhDs. Thirty five per cent of participants are based in the USA while 28% are from emerging economies.
The course comprises eight modules delivered through video lectures, readings, quizzes and a series of exercises, including a peer-review of other students’ work. Enrolment in the course is free.
For more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHPoC4ZKSWQ
To enrol go to: https://www.coursera.org/course/personalisedmed