Personalized Medicine in Mental Health and Performance

Embassy of Canada to the United States
Washington, D.C., May 8-9, 2019

The medical field is committed to delivering evidence-based care, but the evidence used is often from population-wide studies that does not always allow for tailored approaches reflective of an individual patient’s biological makeup, history, and responses to environmental factors. This may contribute to less than optimal prevention strategies, diagnostics, and responses to treatments. However, there have been great advances in some areas of medicine such as oncology that use Precision Medicine to customize treatment approaches based on an individual patient’s profile in the context of evidence-based care. The use of Precision Medicine will ultimately have a positive impact on military readiness and performance. The main objective is to harness and encourage new advances in personalized approaches to optimize: 1) mental health, including ensuring medical readiness, prevention/diagnosis/treatment of disorders, and return to duty; and 2) mental health aspects related to military-relevant mission performance.