ABSTRACT
Precision medicine came into the national spotlight in 2015, when President Barack Obama announced the launch of the Precision Medicine Initiative in his final State of the Union address. Precision medicine research is poised to make important contributions to our understanding of disease and show how the increasing availability of data and advances in computing can lead to breakthroughs in research and medical care. Precision medicine efforts also raise concerns about data privacy and security, data sharing, diversity and inclusion, and equitable access. In addition to personalized medicine, a related term, pharmacogenomics, is sometimes used as a synonym. The terms precision medicine and personalized medicine are often used synonymously, though precision medicine is the newer term. Personalized medicine is an aspirational and anticipatory term that was coined and discussed before any widespread shifts in medical practice had occurred. In addition to personalized medicine, a related term, pharmacogenomics, is sometimes used as a synonym.
