To extend recent conceptual and methodological advances in disparities research to include the incorporation of genomic information in analyses of racial/ethnic disparities in health care and health outcomes.
Published literature on human genetic variation, the role of genetics in disease and response to treatment, and methodological developments in disparities research.
We present a conceptual framework for incorporating genomic information into the nstitute of edicine definition of racial/ethnic disparities in health care, identify key concepts used in disparities research that can be informed by genomics research, and illustrate the incorporation of genomic information into current methods using the example of ‐2 mutations guiding care for breast cancer.
Genomic information has not yet been incorporated into disparities research, though it has direct relevance to concepts of race/ethnicity, health status, appropriate care, and socioeconomic status. The ‐2 example demonstrates how available genetic information can be incorporated into current disparities methods to reduce selection bias and measurement error. Advances in health information infrastructure may soon make standardized genetic information more available to health services researchers.
Genomic information can refine measurement of racial/ethnic disparities in health care and health outcomes and should be included wherever possible in disparities research.
