In Precision Medicine We Trust

Posted on 06/16/2020 @ 10:00 AM

During the 2015 State of the Union, President Barack Obama announced a movement that would invest in America's most important assets, YOU. With a $215 million budget, he launched the Precision Medicine Initiative, focused on bringing together our community and professions for the betterment of our nation. President Obama spoke about learning to value the brilliance in this country and to “harness what is most special about America, our spirit of innovation.” With bipartisan support, we were able to continue the research into “precision medicine [that] gives us one of the greatest opportunities for new medical breakthroughs that we've ever seen.”

In 2015, the National Institutes of Health made history by advocating toward improving health in our country through precision medicine rather than continuing our current to implement a one-size-fits-all health care system. This is why the All of Us Research Program participants and partners continue to work toward precision medicine, to “improve the lives of men, women, and children, for generations to come.” Two years later, we are continuing the movement “to keep ourselves and our families healthy.”

LULAC is celebrating the All of Us Research Program’s second anniversary since its national launch. As a part of the program’s Community and Provider Gateway Initiative, our organization serves as a partner with a rich history of grassroots work in the Latino community, LULAC is proud to work together toward improving health for future generations by creating educational activities that raise awareness and by inviting our community to participate.

It is so critical for Latinos to be well represented in medical research to ensure our community benefits from future medical advances in treatments and prevention strategies to enjoy healthier and longer lives. Since 2018, LULAC has helped the program engage more than 5,000 Latinos across the United States through several community events in many states, as well as at the national level through our social media platforms and through in-person community engagements such as cafecitos and hosting the All of Us Journey -the program’s mobile exhibit unit traveling across the country.

Thus far, the program has been quite successful in engaging diverse communities, in great part, because of the community partnerships, like the one with LULAC the program established from the very beginning of this journey. With 350,000 participants from across the country already enrolled in the program, more than 80% are from communities that have been historically underrepresented in biomedical research. Over 52% are from racially and ethnically diverse groups, including Latinos. But we know there is more work to be done to get to the program’s goal of enrolling 1 million or more participants that reflect the reach diversity of our country.

LULAC recognizes that medical research has never felt more urgent than it does right now during the COVID-19 pandemic. So instead of waiting for change, we want to actively be the change. That’s why we’re glad to announce that the All of Us Research Program has created a way for All of Us participants to help advance COVID-19 research through the COVID-19 Participant Experience (COPE) survey.

By taking this survey and telling All of Us how you’re doing, you can help researchers learn more about COVID-19 and its effect on physical and mental health. When you signed up for the All of Us Research Program, you showed that you care about helping improve health for your family, your community, and the world. Taking this survey is a great way to make a difference today.

These are stressful and unprecedented times for everyone. A lot of people feel like they don’t know what to do, or how to help. Taking this survey is a great way to start. Your answers will help researchers learn more about COVID-19 and the way it affects our health and lives in the short and long term. Now, more than ever, we’re all in this together. By taking this 20-30-minute survey, you could help researchers learn more about how COVID-19 is affecting our health, wellbeing, daily lives, and communities. To get started, log in to your All of Us account or sign up today to take part in this historic program that may change the future of health for all.