Learning the Ropes from an Amazing Colleague

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to learn from Chantel Sloan and members of the Precision Genomics teams for my Walk in their Shoes video. Genomics is the study of how our DNA functions and interacts within our bodies. Using state-of-the-art technologies, Precision Genomics can get right down to your DNA to personalize your care. Each caregiver on the team has to know every step of the process, from cell dividing to DNA slicing. The incredible work Chantel and this team does helps us understand pre-cursor and genetic markers that indicate whether someone is preconditioned to a disease.

Currently, they’re leading out on the Heredigene project to study the DNA of 500,000 voluntary participants. This research is exciting, because it has the potential to help us get upstream of disease by partnering with our consumers and proactively sharing with them the information they need to keep themselves well. 

This is personal for me. As many of you know, I am a two-time cancer survivor. And I’m still managing multiple myeloma. And while not all cancers have clear genetic markers, some do. This research will help empower many people, including those predisposed to some cancers, to change their genetic fate. Think about that for a minute. When we’re born, much of the future of our health is prebaked into our genes. The good and the bad.

Thanks to Chantel and our world-renowned program headquartered right here in St. George, we’re pioneering medicine that will keep families healthier and together longer. Thank you, Chantel, for spending your morning with me and teaching me the ropes. After we finished, I later heard it was a perfect run with no failed samples. I had a great teacher! Our video will be released in May, as part of Caregiver Appreciation Week.