Community Genetics and Its Evaluation: A European Science Foundation Workshop

Community Genetics is an emerging field of activities at the interface of medical genetics and community medicine, involving both research and application. The main goal of research in this field is to investigate how medical genetics can best be applied at population level to the benefit of the individuals in the community. Community Genetics initiatives already exist in several countries, but this innovation, including the methodology, is still in its early days. As a first orientation on activities in Europe, international workshops on Community Genetics were held at the 1999 and 2000 conferences of the European Society of Human Genetics. The objective of this workshop was to (1) establish a European network of researchers in this field, to collaborate in research projects and to prepare research funding applications, and (2) to discuss the need to develop specific methods for evaluation. Furthermore, specific topics that were addressed during the workshop were the availability of valid and feasible methods of evaluation, the (priorities of the) methods that should be developed, and ways to promote the development of these methods. The workshop was funded by the European Science Foundation (ESF) with additional support of The Netherlands Health Research and Development Council. Representatives from 11 countries were invited to participate, and 26 participants from 10 countries actually attended the workshop (see Addendum). Chair people at the meeting were Leo P. ten Kate (Amsterdam) and Gerry EversKiebooms (Leuven).