Advancing Pharmacogenomics Education in the Core PharmD Curriculum through Student Personal Genomic Testing

Abstract

Objective. To develop, implement, and evaluate "Test2Learn" a program to enhance pharmacogenomics education through the use of personal genomic testing (PGT) and real genetic data. Design. One hundred twenty-two second-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students in a required course were offered PGT as part of a larger program approach to teach pharmacogenomics within a robust ethical framework. The program added novel learning objectives, lecture materials, analysis tools, and exercises using individual-level and population-level genetic data. Outcomes were assessed with objective measures and pre/post survey instruments. Assessment. One hundred students (82%) underwent PGT. Knowledge significantly improved on multiple assessments. Genotyped students reported a greater increase in confidence in understanding test results by the end of the course. Similarly, undergoing PGT improved student's self-perceived ability to empathize with patients compared to those not genotyped. Most students (71%) reported feeling PGT was an important part of the course, and 60% reported they had a better understanding of pharmacogenomics specifically because of the opportunity. Conclusion. Implementation of PGT in the core pharmacy curriculum was feasible, well-received, and enhanced student learning of pharmacogenomics.

An Effective Approach to Teaching Pharmacogenomics in the First Year of Pharmacy Curriculum

“…Weitzel and colleagues listed the different factors that affect educational approaches, such as class size and type of curriculum. 30 Educational approaches include didactic lectures, 31 clinical exercises and online resources, 32 personal genomic sequencing, 33 laboratory exercises 34 and bionformatics, 35 flipping content, 36 shortanswer problem solving, 31 medical literature review, 31 experiential activities, 37 and medical evidence review, among others. Some pharmacy schools have tried implementing students' personal genetic sequencing, 33 but this approach could be controversial, 38 and risks failing the four pillars of genetic counseling (autonomy, confidentiality, beneficence, and justice).…”

“…30 Educational approaches include didactic lectures, 31 clinical exercises and online resources, 32 personal genomic sequencing, 33 laboratory exercises 34 and bionformatics, 35 flipping content, 36 shortanswer problem solving, 31 medical literature review, 31 experiential activities, 37 and medical evidence review, among others. Some pharmacy schools have tried implementing students' personal genetic sequencing, 33 but this approach could be controversial, 38 and risks failing the four pillars of genetic counseling (autonomy, confidentiality, beneficence, and justice). 39 In this study, students were exposed to different topics such as patient stratification based on genetic background and involving predicting responders and non-responders, or those with higher or lower risks of developing an adverse effect, discussion of ethical issues and barriers to implementation of genetic testing such as electronic health record or GINA.…”

The Effects of Personal Pharmacogenetic Testing on the Effects of Pharmacy Student Perceptions of Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Precision Medicine

“…Most recently in 2016, Adams et al 10 published results from the University of Pittsburgh demonstrating significant improvements in PharmD students' knowledge and attitude after participating in personal pharmacogenetic testing through a commercial genotyping service. Since utilizing commercial services raised concerns about incidental findings of disease risk, we decided to eliminate this risk by focusing on genes that were solely pharmacogenetically relevant.…”

“…1 To increase the acceptance of precision medicine in clinical practice, we must educate future healthcare providers and clinicians. A number of studies [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] regarding the inclusion of pharmacogenomicsrelated education in professional school curricula suggest promise. Unfortunately, the uptake into U.S. pharmacy programs has been reported as low.…”

“…Only 14.5% of the respondents spent between 31-60 hours on pharmacogenomics-related topics, and 61.3% of respondents __________________________________________________ Corresponding author: Sam S. Oh, PhD, MPH UC San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-2911 Email: sam.oh@ucsf.edu described the present state of pharmacogenomics instruction at most schools of pharmacy as "poor." 11 Efforts at using genotyping as a teaching technique have been described, 2,4,[7][8][9][10] catalyzing the movement towards the adoption of pharmacogenomics into professional school curricula. Our study aims to add to this body of knowledge by providing personal pharmacogenetic testing to first year pharmacy students as an adjunct to a curricular pharmacogenomics course and examining the impact on knowledge and attitude.…”