CONTACT
Gwen Gordon
Phone: (202) 589-1770
ggordon@PersonalizedMedicineCoalition.org

Atlanta, Georgia (September 1, 2011) – The Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) joins the state of Georgia in celebration of Personalized Medicine Awareness Day, and thanks Governor Nathan Deal for being the first governor to recognize personalized medicine’s significance as both a driver of improved health outcomes and a method to increase the efficiency of health care delivery.

“Governor Deal’s proclamation of Personalized Medicine Awareness Day is one of many signs that policymakers are beginning to see that personalized medicine is not just a vision for better health care tomorrow; it has the power to address our nation’s most pressing problems: improving health and reducing costs,” said Edward Abrahams, President of the PMC.

The Personalized Medicine Awareness Day celebration will include a symposium and cocktail reception at the Louis W. Sullivan National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine on September 1, 2011 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

At the symposium, Governor Nathan Deal will formally proclaim September 1, 2011 as Personalized Medicine Awareness Day.  He will be joined by The Honorable Andrew Young, Former UN Ambassador who will offer introductory remarks and keynote speaker Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D., Founder of the Institute of Systems Biology and a visionary in the personalized medicine field.

Other symposium speakers include:

• Kenneth Brigham, M.D., Associate Vice President and Director of the Predictive Health Institute at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology
• John Maupin, DDS, MBA, President, Morehouse School of Medicine
• Elizabeth Ofili, M.D., MPH, Associate Dean and Director of the Clinical Research Center at the Morehouse School of Medicine and National Principal Investigator for the WARFARIN Study
• Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, Dean and Executive Vice President of Morehouse School of Medicine
• Fred Sanfilippo, M.D, Ph.D., Director of the Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology Healthcare Innovation Program
• David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine and former U.S. Surgeon General
• Roger Simon, M.D., Director of Translational Programs in Stroke and Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology at Morehouse School of Medicine
• David Stephens, M.D., Vice President of Research at Emory University’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center

“We have been proud to partner with Dr. Elizabeth Ofili, National Principal Investigator and Director of Cardiology at the Morehouse School of Medicine, in our landmark WARFARIN study,” said Dean Sproles, CEO of Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc. “Personalized Medicine Awareness Day celebrates this first-of-its-kind personalized medicine study, approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that will determine the utility of genetic testing in reducing the incidence of adverse events associated with the initiation of warfarin therapy, and will provide data to demonstrate that individualizing treatment can improve patient safety and reduce health care costs."

Registration for the Personalized Medicine Awareness Day symposium is free.  The proceedings will also be streamed live on the internet.  Visit www.gabio.org for more information.  The program is sponsored by Georgia Bio, Morehouse School of Medicine, Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc., Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

About the Personalized Medicine Coalition
The Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC), representing scientists, patients, providers and payers, promotes the understanding and adoption of personalized medicine concepts, services and products to benefit patients and the health system.  For more information on the Personalized Medicine Coalition, please visit www.PersonalizedMedicineCoalition.org.