The impact of genomics on precision public health

Genome Medicine is pleased to present a special issue on ‘The impact of genomics on precision public health’, guest edited by Dr Muin Khoury from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by Dr Kathryn Holt from Monash University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The emergence of pathogen and human genome sequencing in clinical and public health practice provides opportunities and challenges for using genomics to improve population health. Human and pathogen genomics are at the leading edge of the application of new technologies to public health practice. Research efforts in this area are contributing to a new era of ‘precision public health’, an emerging multidisciplinary field that uses genomics, other big data and artificial intelligence to predict risk and outcomes, and to improve population health. This special issue aims to capture recent insights and advances in our understanding of how to use pathogen and human genomics in public health approaches to prevent and control diseases, as well as to enhance health promotion and reduce health disparities.