Alström Syndrome International
Represented at Precision Medicine Summit with President Obama

Washington, DC (February 25, 2016) – Alström Syndrome International, a member of the Community Engaged Network for All (CENA), is represented at the Precision Medicine Initiative Summit being hosted by President Obama today!  Amidst several other ‘health data flow’ announcements, Sharon Terry, CENA Principal Investigator, will announce that the Patient Powered Research Networks (PPRN) of the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet) will prioritize patient access to electronic health record data in order to let it flow into research studies. CENA, of which Alström Syndrome International is a founding member, is a Patient-Powered Research Network, and, as such, is changing the culture of medical research by involving participants, their families, and all stakeholders in all phases of research. Alström Syndrome International is thrilled to be involved in helping people more readily obtain their health information in order to advance research.

CENA is novel in that it is a collaborative effort of 10 disease advocacy organizations, the University of California, San Francisco, the University of California, Davis and Private Access. CENA utilizes the Platform for Engaging Everyone Responsibly (PEER) built by Private Access and Genetic Alliance to enable individuals to share their health information according to their personal data access and privacy preferences. In the case of Alström Syndrome International, this resulted in the creation of ARC (Alström Research Connect and family exchange), an amazing opportunity for patients and families to both contribute to and participate in Alström-specific disease research.  https://www.alstrom.org/alstrom-registry/

To create a more robust network, all the PPRNs have pledged to help participants access their health data and to make it available for research. This greatly enhances the quality, sensitivity, and power of the available research data. “I am delighted to see these data flow! The goal for CENA is to empower people to ask for their health data from healthcare providers and receive it in the easiest and most useful way,” said Sharon Terry, who also serves as CEO of PXE International, a fellow rare-disease advocacy group. Terry is also a member of the Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program Advisory Panel.

“Patient health data, combined with information from self-reported data and other sources, will be critical in understanding health outcomes for millions of Americans,” Terry added.

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About Alström Syndrome International

Alström Syndrome International (ASI) was founded in 1995 to promote research and support of individuals affected by Alström Syndrome.  ASI works on behalf of individuals and their families to improve quality of life through advancing research, educating clinicians and supporting individuals. ASI is the prime force in conducting basic and clinical research and providing financial support for applied translational research, product development, and treatment development for Alström Syndrome. It also serves as the steward for the intellectual property to equitably advance products and services around the world for the individuals and families living with Alström Syndrome.  Visit: https://www.alstrom.org

About CENA

CENA is part of PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, an innovative initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Genetic Alliance leads this project, which is a collaborative of ten disease advocacy organizations, the University of California San Francisco, the University of California Davis, and Private Access. For more information about CENA please visit: http://www.geneticalliance.org/programs/biotrust/cena

About Platform for Engaging Everyone Responsibly

Platform for Engaging Everyone Responsibly (PEER) is the world’s first participant-controlled, cross-condition health registry. From the ground up, PEER is based on the principle that genuinely engaging individuals in medical research demands giving individuals (or their legally authorized representatives) the power to decide for themselves how, and with whom, they wish to share their health information. For more information: http://peerplatform.org/