On Wednesday, May 24, The All of Us Research Program at UAB Medicine hosted an enrollment event for physicians at The Kirklin Clinic.
One of the physicians who enrolled in the program was Anupam Agarwal, M.D., who was recently appointed dean and senior vice president for Medicine of the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine.
“I am honored to be a participant in the All of Us Research Program and contribute to the one million people across the U.S. to develop a diverse database for research to help promote health,” Dean Agarwal said.
“The entire process, from enrollment to the clinic visit, was very easy and took less than an hour. Personally, I am looking forward to understanding if I have any genetic determinants that would predispose me to certain diseases and how I can change my lifestyle and habits accordingly.”
Studying DNA is a key part of the program’s goal of speeding up health research. One of the side benefits of participating in All of Us is that participants can get their DNA results over time.
All of Us aims to partner with at least 1 million people who reflect the diversity of the United States to accelerate medical breakthroughs. About 80 percent of All of Us participants represent communities that have been historically underrepresented in medical research, and nearly 50 percent of All of Us participants identify with a racial or ethnic minority group.
UAB leads the All of Us Southern Network, composed of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The Southern Network has more than 30,000 core participants, over 24,000 of whom are in Alabama. UAB has enrolled 16,009 core participants.
To learn more about All of Us and to enroll, visit JoinAllofUs.org or call (833) JOIN-UAB.