DPH, lab team for cancer education program

The state Department of Public Health has teamed with Jackson Labs, an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with an office in Farmington, to launch a prevention and training inititative focused on hereditary cancers, including breast, cervical, ovarian and colorectal cancers.

With grant funding from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, DPH will conduct a public education campaign about the importance of knowing and sharing family health history and potential cancer risk factors, while Jackson Labs will offer free, online training for health care providers on family cancer risk assessments.

“Family history is an important element of a comprehensive cancer risk assessment,” DPH Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino said in a news release. “We hope that by promoting awareness of family cancer risks and training providers, we will encourage early testing and detection, ultimately saving lives.”

Jackson Labs’ free training, Genetic Risk Assessment for Cancer Education, consists of a series of 11, 15-minute modules designed to help health-care providers personalize cancer risk assessment for their patients.

Early screening is recommended for patients with a family history of breast, ovarian, and colorectal cancer. The online modules provide a convenient way for healthcare providers to gain up to 2.75 hours of free CME/CNE credits.

Providers may access the training by visiting http://bit.ly/2FwKgO9. For more information about hereditary cancer, visit the DPH website at www.ct.gov/dph.