The National Institutes of Health added the Asian Health Coalition as a community engagement partner for its flagship precision medicine effort, called the All of Us Research Program.
All of Us, which launched nationwide May 6, aims to engage more than 1 million participants in sharing biological samples, genetic data and lifestyle information. With this data, the NIH will build a national research resource to inform future precision medicine studies.
One of the program's hallmarks is its focus on capturing representative samples of the U.S. population, including various minority groups that have been historically underrepresented in scientific research. In July, Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the NIH, highlighted that nearly 50 percent of volunteers who had enrolled in the program so far were from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups.
The Asian Health Coalition — a Chicago-based organization that works to improve the health and well-being of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders throughout Illinois — will join the program's more than 60 community engagement partners in helping to recruit underrepresented racial, ethnic and geographic groups across the U.S.
The Asian Health Coalition will work with All of Us and other partners to train program ambassadors, lead community discussions and provide input on the program's broader engagement strategies.
"We want this program to reflect the country's diversity," Dara Richardson-Heron, MD, chief engagement officer at All of Us, said in an announcement. "Our partners are critical in this effort, giving voice to their communities' unique needs and interests and encouraging people to take part."