Research & Technology

Corewell Health enrolls 10,000th participant in All of Us Research Program

Precision medicine initiative aims to enroll one million people of diverse backgrounds nationally

February 6, 2023

Grand Rapids, Mich., February 6, 2023 – Corewell Health TM  has enrolled its 10,000th participant in the All of Us Research Program, the largest study of its kind in U.S. history.

Participation of the West Michigan community is helping the study reach the target of one million participants. Corewell Health in Grand Rapids is one of several prestigious health care organizations across the country supporting the program, which is run by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In 2017, the NIH opened national enrollment for the All of Us Research Program—a momentous effort to advance individualized prevention, treatment and care for people of all backgrounds. The overall aim is to enroll one million or more volunteers and oversample communities that have been underrepresented in research to make the program the largest, most diverse resource of its kind.

“The program is part of a new era of research in which scientists, physicians, community partners and the public work together to enhance broad representation and co-create individualized strategies to promote health and interrogate disease at the population level,” said Dave Chesla, senior director of research operations at Corewell Health. “Unlike other research studies focused on a specific health issue, All of Us is collecting biological samples as well as health and lifestyle data that can provide information for a wide range of studies for decades to come.”

Precision medicine is an emerging approach to disease treatment and prevention that considers differences in people’s lifestyles, environments and biological makeup, including genes. By partnering with one million diverse people who share information about themselves over many years, the All of Us Research Program will enable research to more precisely prevent and treat a variety of health conditions.

All of Us seeks to transform the relationship between researchers and participants, bringing them together as partners to inform the program’s directions, goals and responsible return of research information. Participants are able to access their health information, summarize data about the entire participant community and information about studies and findings that come from All of Us.

“What makes this program unique is that the participants are our partners,” Chesla said. “Not only can you participate, but there is a bidirectional flow of information that differentiates this program. As a participant, I am able to go online through my participant portal, see my information and also glean new information about myself. It is very uncommon to have this level of transparency.”

Brian Lane, MD, Corewell Health urologist and researcher, is an enthusiastic supporter and participant in the program.

“As a participant, you can provide your genetic material and be a volunteer, but if you are even more motivated you can become a citizen scientist,” Lane said. “You can be an active participant in your own health and contribute information that can help generations to come.”

All of Us and Corewell Health are calling on volunteers to help us make history and change the future of health. The health data that is shared will be added to the All of Us Research Program database so researchers can access this data to conduct studies.

Enrollment is open to participants aged 18 and older living in the U.S., including current and prior patients of Corewell Health. You can learn more by calling 833.564.6255 or emailing  allofus@spectrumhealth.org More information is available at Corewell Health All of Us by clicking “Join Today.”

All of Us is a service mark of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). The All of Us platform is for research only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

 

About Corewell Health™

People are at the heart of everything we do, and the inspiration for our legacy of outstanding outcomes, innovation, strong community partnerships, philanthropy and transparency. Corewell Health is a not-for-profit health system that provides health care and coverage with an exceptional team of 60,000+ dedicated people—including more than 11,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and more than 15,000 nurses providing care and services in 22 hospitals, 300+ outpatient locations and several post-acute facilities—and Priority Health, a provider-sponsored health plan serving more than 1.2 million members. Through experience and collaboration, we are reimagining a better, more equitable model of health and wellness. For more information, visit corewellhealth.org

 

Contact:
Tim Hawkins
Media Relations
Office: 616.486.6091
Mobile: 616.443.0361
Email: timothy.hawkins@corewellhealth.org