Test2Learn™ Investigators Awarded Grant to Accelerate Genomic Testing Adoption in Clinical Practice Through Novel Education

[July 3, 2019] Rapid advances in the field of genomics has outpaced education, resulting in a knowledge gap in front-line healthcare practitioners.  The goal of a new three-year grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation is to overcome these barriers and to accelerate the adoption of genomic testing through high-fidelity genomics education enabled by Test2Learn.

Test2Learn is an award-winning educational solution developed by the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy that embraces participatory education.  Learners can go through genetics testing themselves and work with their own data to attain superior learning outcomes.  To date, over 1500 learners have been trained to integrate genetic data into their clinical decision making in one of over 35 Test2Learn programs nationally.

The funding will support the development of additional web-based training modules, real-world exercises incorporating whole genome sequencing (WGS) data, and platform upgrades.  At least 140 front-line practitioners, emerging professionals, and key opinion leaders who are positioned to rapidly advance WGS use in practice will be offered this innovative training as part of the project.

Test2learn team and University of Pittsburgh faculty members Philip Empey (Pharmacy), Mylynda Massart (Family Medicine), James Stevenson (Pharmacy), and Lisa Parker (Center for Bioethics & Health Law) will lead the work. The award is part of a grant totaling $2.8 million to the Institute for Precision Medicine (IPM) at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC for precision medicine implementation (see press release).