Education and Research

AMA Science brings together a variety of resources for physicians and scientists to learn about and discuss the scientific, ethical, legal and social issues related to the rapidly changing field of genetics and molecular medicine:

• Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine is a new online continuing medical education (CME) course that introduces pharmacogenomics and the influence of a patient's genetic background on drug response.  The course was eveloped by the AMA and the Food and Drug Administration, and is designed for physicians who have had little exposure to the topic in clinical practice or who want to better understand the current levels of pharmacogenomic information in prescription drug labeling. Beginning with a review of concepts in genetics and pharmacology, the course addresses the genetic control of drug metabolism and response, pharmacogenomic information in drug labels, and clinical examples of drugs whose action is influenced by the patient's genetic background. The course outlines some tests available to aid in prescribing certain drugs whose disposition or action is affected by a patient's genetic background.  The course is free of charge; registration is required.

• The Future of Medicine: Pharmacogenomics is an online course made up of 13 modules covering pharmacogenetic topics such as metabolism of specific drug classes, membrane transporters, drug targets, and drug development.  The modules can be viewed as overviews of the topics or as in-depth reviews. The course was designed by the American College of Clinical Pharmacology, GlaxoSmithKline, and Third Wave Technologies. 

• Genetics and Common Disorders: Implications for Primary Care and Public Health Providers This CD-ROM program, available from the AMA, focuses on the genetics of common disorders using broad genetic principles and is intended for physicians interested in the significant role of genetics in primary care and public health.

• AAFP 2005 Annual Clinical Focus on Genomics The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is developing a series of all Web-based CME programs on various genetically influenced health conditions. These programs are part of AAFP's 2005 Annual Clinical Focus (ACF), an educational initiative designed to bring physicians and other clinicians state-of-the-art clinical information on genomics.

• Information about the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics (NCHPEG), an organization co-founded by the AMA that aims to promote health professional education and access to information about advances in human genetics.

• Family history tools A collection of educational tools and forms generated by the AMA to help physicians gather comprehensive family histories from patients.

• The AMA Web site has anatomy charts available for viewing. This site has medical illustrations of the nervous, skeletal, circulatory, reproductive, digestive, endocrine and respiratory systems along with disease explanations for stroke and breast disorders.