All of Us Research Program | National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative

The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) joins NIH in launching the All of Us Research Program to Advance Precision Medicine

Picture of Gentleman in a wheelchair (Stephen Mikita) speaking at the All of Us launch event in Birmingham, AL

Steve Mikita speaking at the All of Us launch event in Birmingham, AL

On May 6^th, 2018, the National Institutes of Health (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, including people with disabilities. The All of us Research Program is a historic effort to gather data from one (1) million or more people living in the United States to accelerate research and improve health.

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 1 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. The All of Us Research Program 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 will be able to access their own health information, summary data about the entire participant community and information about studies and findings that result from All of Us.

The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) is proud to be part of this initiative that will include people with disabilities and work to improve the health status of people with disabilities across the nation. AAHD will be conducting national outreach on the program using social media, webinars, newsletters and conference exhibits. AAHD will assist All of Us in developing a disability-focused rationale for why people with disabilities should participate in the program. AAHD will also be working with 3 sites, assisting them in educating potential participants from their constituencies. The 3 sites are as follows:

Lakeshore Foundation – Birmingham, AL
University of Montana Rural Institute – Missoula, MT
Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY – New York, NY

All of Us Mobile Engagement Asset at the launch event in Birmingham, AL

To learn more about the program and how to join, please visit https://www.joinAllofUs.org. To learn more about AAHD’s outreach and communication efforts, contact Roberta Carlin, at rcarlin@aahd.us or Karl Cooper, at kcooper@aahd.us or call AAHD at (301 -545 – 6140) or check out these resources: