Members of the 27th Special Operations Wing will have the opportunity to be part of a personalized medicine research study April 18 and 19.

Those interested in participating will have several opportunities and locations available to them:

-Fitness Center: 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

-Cannon Clinic: 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

-The Main Exchange: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“A small team will come out to Cannon with kits and perform inner cheek swabs to obtain individual DNA samples,” said Capt. Misti Neill, 27th Special Operations Medical Support Squadron readiness flight commander. “Members will then fill out a short questionnaire about health habits and family history. Once the team leaves and processes DNA, they will upload results via their secure portal. Patients can choose to log-in once results are published to see if they have the gene for various cancers and diseases such as asthma, bladder and breast cancer, Lupus, Melanoma, Obesity, Osteoporosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Testicular Cancer or Diabetes”

“The study is completely free; patients can choose to share their results with their Primary Care Manager, but this is certainly not a requirement,” she continued. “Results will not be sent to the clinic unless the patient chooses to print their own results and discuss uploading them into their medical records with the help of their PCM.”

No appointment is necessary and enrollment will take approximately 30 minutes; no monetary compensation will be provided to participants at any time.

“This study will help improve the overall ability of medical personal to make better informed clinical decisions; a higher probability of desired health outcomes by using better-targeted therapies; the reduced probability of adverse reactions from medications and treatments; a focus on prevention and prediction of disease rather than reaction to

It; earlier disease intervention; and reduced healthcare costs,” Neill stated.

The program is sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Medical Support Agency in collaboration with the Coriell Institute for Medical Research; a non-profit leader in personalized medicine research.

You may be eligible to participate if you:

-Are an active-duty member of the United States Air Force, or a retiree of the Air Force, or the spouse of an active-duty member or retiree of the Air Force*

-Are 18 years of age or older

-Have a valid personal e-mail address

-Have a DOD medical record (current AHLTA record)

-Are a TRICARE Prime beneficiary

-Are Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) eligible

-Are enrolled at a United States Military Treatment Facility (MTF)

*Current AHLTA record, TRICARE Prime, DEERS-eligible, and enrolled at an MTF

To learn more, visit www.usaf.coriell.org or contact Capt. Misti Neill at 575-784-4925.