Leading Precision Medicine in California

Dr. Fred Meyers stands by Education Building

The Center for Precision Medicine and Data Sciences is housed within the School of Medicine at UC Davis Health in Sacramento, CA. UC Davis Health is consistently rated a top hospital in the nation and benefits from leading providers in the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing. We combine our strength with the UC Davis campus.

UC Davis is a leader in precision medicine in California as well as within the University of California. In 2018, Dr. Fred Meyers was appointed to the Governor’s Committee on Precision Medicine. He has been an invited speaker at several symposia and recognized as a thought leader in the emergence of precision medicine and precision public health.

Team Science

Team science leverages the strengths and expertise of professionals trained in different fields, from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, to address a scientific challenge. We value finding opportunities for colleagues who often lack the  opportunity to meet or collaborate. We convene, create and engage investigators utilizing basic and clinical sciences. For example, our Precision Nutrition Program brings together the Department of Nutrition, UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), the UC Davis Health Department of Food and Nutrition Services, and the Schools of Medicine and Nursing in a series of collaborative projects. The Data Science Program includes stakeholders from UC Davis IT, UC Davis Health Departments of Pathology and Internal Medicine as well as UC San Francisco Computational Health Sciences.

One of our premier research projects, funded by the Department of Defense, “The UCD-DGMC TBI Precision Medicine Network for Complex Trauma,” consists of a multi-disciplinary team of nineteen faculty and three external partnering sites, focused on precision poly- trauma. The project is co-led by Dr. Meyers and Dr. Tina Palmieri, professor of surgery and chief of the division of burn surgery.

Training the Future

Our Center has led, proposed, or collaborated in the training of high school teachers and students, undergraduates, post-doctoral scholars and junior faculty about the potential impact for precision medicine. This is a priority for our Center and a point of distinction. Our Center is recognized across the state for its focus on precision medicine education. Dr. Meyers heavily contributed to the Governor’s committee on Precision Medicine and had a key role in drafting the Education and Workforce Development chapter in the Governor’s Precision Medicine Report, entitled: “Precision Medicine: An Action Plan for California

Partnerships

All of Us

UC Davis Health is one of five leading academic health centers in California that are members of the California Precision Medicine Consortium, established to implement the All of Us Research Program in California. Led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us is an ambitious effort to gather genetic, biological, environmental, health and lifestyle data from 1 million or more volunteers living in the U.S. This data will help accelerate research, limit health disparities and improve individual and population health.

California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine (CIAPM)

UC Davis is also a partner with the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine (CIAPM) which was launched in 2015. CIAPM is a partnership between the state, the University of California and other public and private entities focused on supporting health innovations, science and technology.

Precision Medicine Requires Collaboration

Precision medicine requires collaborative, interdisciplinary teams that can use tools and data sources to maximize individual and population health and well-being. These inclusive teams involve health providers from various disciplines, community members and technical and domain experts such as environmental researchers, urban planners, data scientists, biostatisticians, psychologists, programmers and more.  

UC Davis is committed to creating effective multidisciplinary teams by convening partners from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. The teams use their unique skills to create the best preventive and treatment plans for individuals and communities. By looking at health issues from multiple perspectives, these teams can make more accurate advances in finding precise solutions. If you are interested in collaborating, don't hesitate to contact us.