FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

For more information, contact:

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Communications and Marketing

Sheila Champlin – (901) 448-4957

schampli@uthsc.edu

 

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Hosts Workshop on ABCs of DNA:

Unraveling the Mystery of Genetics Information

____________________________________________________

 

Memphis, Tenn. (November 5, 2010) – Do you worry about what’s in your genes?  What disorders did your parents pass along to you, or did you convey to your children?  On Tuesday, November 9, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will host a workshop on the ABCs of DNA: Unraveling the Mystery of Genetics Information for Consumers.  The four-hour, free workshop is open to the public, public librarians, and health sciences librarians; however, advance registration is required.

The workshop gives consumers a chance to explore how to access public information and resources about genetics.  The half-day session will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the UTHSC Health Sciences Library, Lamar Alexander Building, 877 Madison Avenue, Electronic Classroom 307.  There will be a one-hour lunch break but UTHSC does not provide lunch.   

The class explores basic concepts such as genes and chromosomes, offering an overview of genetic disorders, genetic testing, genetic counseling, and the Human Genome Project.  Terri Ottosen, consumer health outreach coordinator for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Southeastern/Atlantic Region, will serve as the workshop instructor.  She has worked in public, academic and medical libraries for more than 15 years and has a keen sense of the role librarians play in helping the public locate and evaluate sometimes complex and confusing information, which is abundant in the field of genetics.       

If you want to know whether we are truly living in a “Gattaca” world, where a single human hair can reveal your every genetic inferiority, register for the workshop via e-mail at uthscisd@uthsc.edu or by phone at (901) 448-5166.  For questions about the workshop, contact Brenda Green, associate professor and coordinator of instructional services, UTHSC Library and Biocommunications Center: via e-mail at bfgreen@uthsc.edu or by phone at (901) 448-4759.

For more details about the ABCs of DNA workshop or to review the agenda and course documents visit: http://nnlm.gov/training/genetics/index.html. 

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service.  In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.  UTHSC has additional colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy plus an Allied Health Sciences unit in Knoxville, as well as a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga.  Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

###