1. What Did Grandpa Give You Besides the Gold Watch?
Medical Genetics and Genealogy

2. A Family Health Portrait
Getting Ready to Talk
Make a list of blood relatives
Prepare your questions
Chronic illnesses
Other serious illnesses – don’t forget mental illnesses
Causes of death
Find a good time to talk
At family events
Via phone calls or

3. Health Portrait - Part 2 During Your Talks
Explain to your relative why you are doing this
Keep a record
Ask one question at a time
Respect your relatives’ feelings

4. Health Portrait – Part 3 After Your Talks Take one step at a time
Don’t panic about discoveries
Continue the creation of the portrait
Filling in the gaps
Try asking other relatives
Request medical or vital records
Keep your family’s health history up-to-date

5. Create a Family Health History
Begin with a tool from the U.S. Surgeon General
Enter your family health history
Learn about risks for conditions
Save, share, and print your family health history
Link to the actual database entry screens

6. Karen’s medical ancestry chart
other – cancer, depression
Paul
other – heart, arthritis
William
death - cancer
John
death - heart
Anna
Helen
death – heart other – cancer, arthritis
Hipolit
death – heart
other - arthritis
Agnes
Joyce
Robert
death - heart other - cancer, depression
Lewellyn
other - depression
Alvira
Ruby
other - dementia
Ralph
Edith
other - dementia

7. Public Health Genomics – Centers for Disease Control
Weekly Update
Genomic Testing
Family Health History
Reports and Publications
Podcasts and Videocasts

8. Research the Common Illnesses/Diseases
Don’t stop with the “big” ones like cancer or heart disease. Look for others like high blood pressure, diabetes, hemophilia, or arthritis.
Determine the normal age of appearance
Consider that it could vary by sex
Do you need to be looking earlier?
Check for gender specific conditions on the “other” side of the family
Reach out to national support organizations for literature and support

9. Don’t Panic!
Early knowledge of family trends can allow for better testing at an earlier age.
Many conditions now have better medical treatments that can be started at a younger age.
Early action will allow even terminal illnesses to be treated for a longer and better quality of life.

10. Share what you have found
Don’t keep patterns or genetic results a secret. Let people know that future generations need to watch for specific symptoms.
Branch out beyond just Mom and Dad and sisters and brothers. Aunts, uncles, and cousins are in the same genetic family.
If you love your family, share the knowledge and let everyone spend many more healthy, happy years together!

11. Karen Russ, MLS
Research & Community Engagement Librarian/Associate Professor
Ottenheimer Library/Collections & Archives
University of Arkansas at Little Rock