The Genomics Conversation

During 24–28 June 2024, the annual #GenomicsConversation campaign will return for its seventh year, this time with a focus on genomics journeys.

The awareness-raising week will feature stories and activities that reflect the genomics journeys of NHS professionals and patients, and well as looking at the impact this has had on clinical care – and the direction of travel in the future.

Each day of the week will focus on one of five key themes and a full calendar of activities will be available in advance, so you won’t miss out.

• Day 1: ‘Are we there yet?’ Genomics in the NHS
• Day 2: Pioneers and explorers: Navigating genomics
• Day 3: Ticket to ride: Patient experiences
• Day 4: Uncharted journeys: What lies ahead?
• Day 5: To boldly go: Chart your own genomics journey

During the campaign, healthcare professionals are encouraged to check in daily, embrace the journey and learn about different areas over the course of the week. Follow us on social media to keep up to date on plans for the week.

Want to get involved? Visit our dedicated webpage which includes ideas for content, example messages and more! Alternatively, please get in touch with us via email.

On Monday 26 June, the GEP launched its sixth and widest reaching #GenomicsConversation campaign with a focus on ‘hidden genomics’.

The week featured activities, stories and resources designed to reveal to all healthcare professionals where and how genomics is already being used for the benefit of patients across the healthcare system. We also uncovered the unexpected places where both patients and health professionals might find genomics.

Each day of the campaign was dedicated to one of five themes, with activities tailored to reflect each theme. You can view all the themes and activities through our interactive online calendar.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to all our partners in the genomics community and beyond and everyone who joined and supported the week. As always we’d love to hear your feedback, so please get in touch with the GEP team with ideas for future themes or activities to help us continue the conversation in 2024!

On Monday 20 June, the GEP launched its fifth and biggest #GenomicsConversation week to date.

Open to all healthcare professionals, the focus for 2022 was to help everyone in the workforce to feel confident when talking about genomics with both colleagues and patients.

Each day of the week was dedicated to one of five key themes with a tailored calendar of activities created to reflect each theme. If you missed any of the action during the week, our fully interactive online calendar is available to view.

We would like to extend a massive thank you to everyone who supported our campaign, however we need your feedback to help us make the #GenomicsConversation 2023, the week everyone is looking forward to. If you have any ideas for activities in your workplace or region, or would like to get involved in the next campaign, please get in touch with the GEP team.

On Monday 28 June, the GEP launched its fourth and biggest #GenomicsConversation week of action.

The focus this year was on the nursing, midwifery and health visiting communities, with the week providing a perfect opportunity for the programme to respond and act on feedback provided by our 2020 genomics awareness survey.

Each day of the week was dedicated to one of five key themes with a tailored calendar of activities created to reflect each theme. If you missed it – don’t worry! A fully interactive calendar of activities is available to download.

We want to extend a massive thank you to everyone who supported our campaign, however, we need your feedback to help us make the next campaign is our best yet. We look forward to bringing you an even bigger #GenomicsConversation in 2022!

Due to the challenging and rapidly evolving circumstances surrounding the Covid-19 outbreak, the GEP took the decision to launch a scaled back third #GenomicsConversation week on Monday 16 March.

The aim of the week was to draw attention to genomics in nursing and to bust the myths, challenge the misconceptions and explain the facts about genomics. Throughout the week we continued to share relevant content using the campaign hashtag.

The scaled back campaign featured:

• Genetics Unzipped podcast: a special edition podcast looking at and addressing the myths and misconceptions in genomics.
• RCNi Podcast: a second special co-produced podcast featuring Angela Cazeaux, Vicky Cuthill and Professor Mark Radford who discuss how nursing can harness the power of genomics.
• A new film featuring Professor Mark Radford, talking about genomics and the nurse role, and why it is important nurses learn more.
• Five Myth-busting infographics.
• Three new patient films featuring different patient stories, where genomics has played a part in their diagnosis or treatment.

On Monday 4^th March the GEP launched its second week of action to broaden the genomics conversation to all healthcare professionals.

As before, the overall theme was to raise awareness of genomics in the NHS and increase familiarity with genomics terminology so health professionals feel more comfortable discussing genomic testing with their patients. This time, we placed particular focus on the voice and experiences of patients.

Here are some of the activities that took place during our second #GenomicsConversation week:

• Genetics Unzipped podcast: a special edition podcast looking at how genomics is changing healthcare, with a focus on developments in the cancer pathway and the impact for patient outcomes.
• Talking Genomics with Patients event – a panel of patients shared their experiences of preparing for the highs, and lows, of genomic testing with health professionals.
• Genomics 101 launch – a new series of introductory courses was launched with the aim of giving health professionals an overview of the fundamentals of genomics and its impact on patient care.

Monday 5th March 2018 kick-started our first #GenomicsConversation, with a particular focus on nursing and midwifery. The aim of the week was to encourage nurses and midwives to participate and learn, and to start a bigger conversation about genomics in healthcare with their colleagues, patients or friends.

The week featured:

• Genomics Conversation podcasts: four new podcasts were launched on SoundCloud, featuring a range of topics and experts.
• Nursing in the Genomics Era: we developed a short film illustrating the role nurses play in the delivery of genomic medicine and how they are already contributing to incredible advances in treatment and care.
• Twitter chat: this lively hour, hosted in partnership with @WeNurses, focused on nursing and ethics in the genomic era.
• Awareness-raising events: #GenomicsConversation events were held in hospitals in Lincoln, York and Nottingham.