QMUL selected to be part of new genomics training programme for NHS professionals

The Masters level training course in Genomic Medicine will be led by QMUL’s Professor Panos Deloukas and Professor Mark Caulfield (who is also Chief Scientist at Genomics England). It will be delivered in collaboration with University College London (Professor Phil Beales and Dr Hannah Mitchison), Public Health England (Professor Saheer Gharbia), and Great Ormond Street Hospital (Professor Maria Bitner-Glindzicz).

The training is designed to provide NHS professionals with a multi-disciplinary perspective on genomics and its application in medicine – with a particular focus on rare genetic diseases, cancer and infection.

The MSc Genomic Medicine Programme will fund places for a range of NHS professionals (such as doctors, nurses, scientists and technologists)  to train in the latest genomic technologies and analytical approaches, as well as the legal, social and ethical challenges associated with this field.

Panos Deloukas, Professor of Cardiovascular Genomics at Queen Mary University of London, comments: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity and we’re proud to be taking such a crucial role in the delivery of this training course. We believe healthcare professionals from a range of backgrounds stand to benefit by enhancing their understanding of the rapidly evolving field of genomics.”

MSc Genomic Medicine students will work directly with patient data from the 100,000 Genomes Project, led by Genomics England, gaining hands on experience in how genomics may be applied to diagnosis and patient treatment.

The course will harness the strengths of the UCLPartners NHS Trusts and the Genomic Medicine Centre, and will fully engage with patient groups and the public.