Advances in molecular biology and human genetics, coupled with the completion of the Human Genome Project and the increasing power of quantitative genetics to identify disease susceptibility genes, are contributing to a revolution in the practice of medicine. In the 21st century, practicing physicians will focus more on defining genetically determined disease susceptibility in individual patients. This strategy will be used to prevent, modify, and treat a wide array of common disorders that have unique heritable risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, arthrosclerosis, and cancer.

The Division of Genetic Medicine provides an academic environment enabling researchers to explore new relationships between disease susceptibility and human genetics. The Division of Genetic Medicine was established January 1, 1999 under the leadership of its founding Director, Alfred L. George, Jr., M.D.,and an accelerated plan is underway to establish a core group of faculty, and develop both research and clinical programs. Equipped with state-of-the-art research tools and facilities, our faculty is advancing knowledge of the common genetic determinants of cancer, epilepsy, congenital gastrointestinal disorders, and heart disease. The Division supports the operation of high-throughput DNA Sequencing and Allele-Typing core facilities that are available to other Vanderbilt University faculty and researchers from other institutions. We also work jointly with the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center to support a Family Cancer Risk Service for counseling patients and their families who have an inherited predisposition to various malignancies.

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Genetic Medicine : Division Home | Department of Medicine

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