By Eloycsia Ratliff, MPH, 23andMe Medical Education Project Manager
Editor’s note: This is the third in an occasional series about 23andMe’s Medical Education program.
This month, the American Academy of Family Physicians host their annual Family Medicine Experience (FMX) in Philadelphia, their largest meeting meant to inspire medical professionals focused on family medicine and primary care. Over 5,000 medical professionals, including family physicians and healthcare companies (including health technology), will be in attendance–and so will 23andMe. 
The emergence of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing and questions from healthcare professionals such as family doctors surrounding this topic, have made it important for companies like 23andMe to have a presence to help providers understand more about what 23andMe offers consumers.
Improving Patient Care
One of the themes of the conference this year is to inspire family doctors to “remember why they fell in love with family medicine” in the first place. Many of the presentations, showcases and events during the four-day conference focus on identifying new patient care solutions, which can provide family medicine doctors with innovative ways to approach, and ultimately improve patient care.
23andMe believes knowledge about genetics — both among consumers and healthcare professionals — has the potential to improve health outcomes. At this year’s FMX, 23andMe’s Medical team plans to highlight how our service works and how family doctors can help their patients use genetic information to make more informed decisions about their health.
Where and When
On Thursday, September 26th at 9:30am, 23andMe’s Medical Education Lead, Anne Greb, MS, CGC, will host an interactive Learning Lab entitled “Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing in Your Practice.” The session will cover need-to-know information about DTC genetic testing including an overview of the consumer experience, the type of information consumers receive in their 23andMe health reports, consumer motivations for DTC genetic testing, and next steps for both consumers and healthcare providers based on the report outcomes.
Learning Lab sessions provide an opportunity for companies like 23andMe to highlight important clinical topics as they relate to their products and services. These 30-minute educational sessions are open to all conference attendees and are a great way to stay in-the-know about new advances in health technology.
In addition to the Learning Lab session, 23andMe will host a booth in the exhibit hall (booth #401). We will be there to answer questions and provide resources such as the ability for family doctors to explore different customer demo accounts so they can better understand their patients’ experiences with 23andMe.
Learn More
For 23andMe, attending the FMX is one way we can inform HCPs about our services so they are more knowledgeable when their patients, our customers, are discovering their genetic information through 23andMe’s Health + Ancestry Service.
If you are a healthcare professional and interested in learning more about 23andMe’s health reports and educational resources, we invite you to join our HCP community. You will receive regular updates on new report launches and information about upcoming educational programs and other engagement opportunities.
Want to find out more? Check out the other two posts about the program:
• Common Misconceptions Healthcare Professionals Have about 23andMe
• Medical Education at 23andMe
