B Modell

LP Kate Ten

English

PubMed

Jörg Schmidtke

Leo P. ten Kate

Springer - Publisher Connector

EDITORIAL
The journal of community genetics
Jörg Schmidtke & Leo P. ten Kate
Published online: 2 April 2010
# The Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
The new journal Journal of Community Genetics sets
another landmark in the history of community genetics. In
1987, the term “community genetics services” was first
used in a WHO document to describe clinical genetic
activities offered directly to the population, and the need for
research in this area of medical practice was soon realized
(Modell et al. 1991; Modell 1992). In 1998, the journal
Community Genetics was founded (Ten Kate 1998) and, for
11 years, served as a forum for all research activities in the
field. The new Journal of Community Genetics follows this
tradition as the only periodical publication worldwide
devoted to this branch of medicine. It is an official journal
of the International Society of Community Genetics and
Genomics, founded in 2009, and fulfills the prophecy that a
good concept may temporally be invisible but, as a
submarine, will surface somewhere (Ten Kate 2008).
Meanwhile, the international multidisciplinary community
genetics e-mail network has more than 800 members at the
time of writing and continues to grow.
We believe that community genetics and “public health
genetics” are not the same, although they have much in
common. The principal aim of public health genetics is to
improve population health by reducing disease prevalence.
The ultimate aim of community genetics is the well-being
of the individual in that population. These different aims
can be in conflict, particularly in the area of reproductive
medicine. An informal group of 14 scientists from Europe,
Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, and South America
has recently reached the consensus definition:
Community Genetics is the art and science of the
responsible and realistic application of health and
disease-related genetics and genomics knowledge and
technologies in human populations and communities
to the benefit of individuals therein. Community
Genetics is multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary and
aims to maximize benefits while minimizing the risk
of harm, respecting the autonomy of individuals and
ensuring equity. (Ten Kate et al. 2010).
The main areas of research in community genetics were
identified by these authors to include:
& Genetic screening
& Genetic literacy and education
& Access and quality of genetic services
& Genetics in primary care
& Genetics in middle-income and low-income countries
& Genetics in disadvantaged subpopulations
& Registries of congenital and genetic disorders
& Genetics in preconception care
& Public consultation on genetic issues
& Epidemiological issues
& Economic issues
& Psychosocial issues
& Ethical and legal issues
& Policy issues
The Journal of Community Genetics invites the scientific
community to submit research on all these activities.
The journal will present original research papers, reviews,
short communications, case and country reports, commentar-
ies, news, and correspondence. The journal will serve as a
forum for community genetics worldwide, with a focus on
J. Schmidtke (*)
Institut fuer Humangenetik, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover,
Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1,
30625 Hanover, Germany
e-mail: schmidtke.joerg@mh-hannover.de
L. P. ten Kate
Department of Clinical Genetics, VU University Medical Center,
PO Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands
J Community Genet (2010) 1:1–2
DOI 10.1007/s12687-010-0008-y
low-income and middle-income countries, many of which
now experience the epidemiological transition from infectious
disease to genetic disease as major constituents of population
and individual disease load. This is reflected by the
composition of the board of associate editors and by the
members of the advisory board, rendering this Springer
periodical a journal with an impressively broad geographic
distribution of scientific support.
We would like to thank the publisher for their engagement
in a field of research that is likely to impact, in the near future,
on a dramatically increasing number of communities and
individuals worldwide, yet remains heavily underdeveloped
and underfunded even in the majority of developed countries.
We hope that this journal will help to increase the visibility of
community needs and demands for genetic services, and the
necessity for research in this area.
Jörg Schmidtke and Leo P. ten Kate
Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which per-
mits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
References
Modell B (1992) The need for a science of community genetics. Birth
Defects Orig Artic Ser 28(3):131–141
Modell B, Kuliev AM, Wagner M (1991) Community genetics
services in Europe: report on a survey. European Series, No.
38. WHO Regional Publications, Copenhagen
Ten Kate LP (1998) Editorial. Community Genet 1:1–2
Ten Kate LP (2008) Editorial: discharge and farewell. Community
Genet 11:312
Ten Kate LP, Al-Gazali L, Anand S, Bittles A, Cassiman JJ,
Christianson A, Cornel MC, Hamamy H, Kääriäinen H,
Kristoffersson U, Marais D, Penchaszadeh VB, Rahaman P,
Schmidtke J (2010) Community genetics: its definition, 2010. J
Community Genet (this issue)
2 J Community Genet (2010) 1:1–2


The journal of community genetics

Schmidtke, J.

ten Kate, L.P.

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Editorial. The journal of community genetics

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Kate, L.P. ten

DSpace at VU

Editorial. Community Genet 1:1–2 Ten Kate LP (2008) Editorial: discharge and farewell.

The need for a science of community genetics.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=3063836

The journal of community genetics

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