Last year I was invited to deliver a TEDxUMKC presentation and chose to share some of my thoughts about the “Envirome”. After working for more than a decade on concepts related to the internal “omes” – the genome, proteome etc – I have become increasingly interested in the impact that externalities or context have on health risks and outcomes. As I’ve investigated environmental health, social determinants of health and the “exposome”, I realized that the concept of the “envirome” can unify our approach. Considering these topics together as an “ome” enables us to take a data-driven approach to both risks and opportunities that influence our health. What has excited me the most is the realization that compared to the other “omics”, the opportunities for meaningful interventions are very accessible, whether improving communication between a provider and patient or strategically addressing housing quality. Here is the video of my presentation.
TEDx talk – “The Envirome”
