In the State of the Union address, President Obama called for a new initiative to support precision medicine. Also referred to as personalized medicine or individualized medicine, the approach tailors health care – including disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention - to an individual’s genetic makeup and other personal characteristics. Wilard Dere, M.D., director of the Program in Personalized Health at the University of Utah, is available to answer questions about how personalized medicine differs from traditional medicine, and how he anticipates it will transform and add value to health care, which consumes an astounding $3 trillion each year. He can relay success stories, and explain what will become possible as this newest branch of medicine continues to evolve.
As executive director of the Program in Personalized Health at the University of Utah, Dere is leading a team of researchers in transforming genetic discoveries into customized diagnostics, therapeutics, and tools for screening and prevention. Prior to this role, Dere spent 25 years in the biopharmaceutical industry, most recently serving as senior vice president of global development at Amgen; previously he led clinical development of therapeutics at Eli Lilly. His experience in both pharmaceutical industry and academia gives him a unique perspective on health care, and the development and implementation of new therapies.
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