Some examples of this include newborn screening programs (which includes testing blood spots of infants for specific genetic conditions, hearing screening, and critical congenital heart disease screening), prenatal genetics (including expanded carrier screening and non-invasive prenatal screening), and population screening for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, Lynch syndrome, and Familial hypercholesterolemia – which 2 million people in the United States are at risk for.
Family Health History- A Public Health Genetics Week Case Study
Knowing your family health history can help guide what types of genetic screening and testing might be helpful for you and your family, and this information is also important during a genetics appointment.
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has created the SHARE resources helps you understand the risk you have for certain conditions (breast cancer, heart condition, etc.) based on your family health history. Download the resource on their website.
It is important to note that although family history is helpful, if you don’t know your family history for any reason, seeing a genetic counselor or geneticist can still help if you have certain medical or developmental issues.
Throughout Public Health Genetics Week 2022, we will be highlighting family health history. Learn more about family health history by checking back each day of the week or read our Family Health History Comic Strip.
Although each state decides which conditions are screened for, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services makes recommendations of which conditions should be screened through the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP). Learn more about the RUSP and learn what conditions each state screens for through NewSTEPs.
Below learn more about the organizations that constitute the newborn screening system and newborn screening resources developed for providers and families.




- “What is the process of screening?
- What do newborn screening results mean?
- What conditions are screened in newborn screening?
- What should I ask my healthcare provider about newborn screening?
- What are the state and federal laws around screening?”
Learn more at https://www.expectinghealth.org/programs/newborn-screening-family-education-program


The purposes of this site are to:
- Define NBS, describe the NBS process, and explain how that process relates to follow up, diagnosis, and treatment.
- Identify the conditions included as part of NBS.
- List the types of NBS results and describe what happens after screening for babies with each type of result.
- Connect parents, parents-to-be, and health care providers with state-specific NBS resources.
- Help readers learn about updates in NBS
Learn more at https://newbornscreening.hrsa.gov/

NBSTRN’s mission is to “to facilitate ground-breaking research in newborn screening designed to discover new tests, conditions and treatments; to foster a collaborative and integrative network of researchers, clinicians, families and public health partners to understand newborn screening outcomes; to support pilots that inform the infrastructure, programming, and policies needed to expand and improve newborn screening.” Learn more at nbstrn.org.


Explore newborn screening resources utilizing the NCC Resource Repository (ReRe). Within ReRe, you can filter by type of resource, who developed the resource, or the intended audience. Additionally, you can search for specific resources utilizing the search functionality.
Tier 1 genomic applications [or population screening] are defined by CDC’s Office of Public Health Genomics (OPHG) “as those having significant potential for positive impact on public health based on available evidence-based guidelines and recommendations.”
Currently, CDC recommends three applications:
- “Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome (HBOC) – increased risk for breast, ovarian, tubal, peritoneal, and other cancers due to mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes;
- Lynch syndrome (LS) – increased risk for colorectal, endometrial, ovarian, and other cancers associated with mutations in mismatch-repair genes; or
- Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) – increased risk for heart disease or stroke due to mutations leading to very high cholesterol levels from an early age.”
Additional Resources to Learn More about Population Screening



- Familial Hyperchloesterolemia (FH) Educational Brochure
- Find Familial Hypercloesterolemia (FH) Specialist

After Testing, Now What? Webpage
Screening and Risk Reduction Webpage
What You Should Know About Genes and Cancer Brochure

- Gynecologic Cancers of Lynch Syndrome Fact Sheet
- Support organizations for individuals with Lynch syndrome
Targeted carrier screening is a blood test offered by a healthcare provider to parents with particular family health histories or parents that come certain populations. On the other hand, expanded carrier screening is offered before or during pregnancy and screens for a large number of genetic conditions regardless of parents’ ethnic background or family history. Genetic conditions screened for during an expanded carrier screening can include, but are not limited to: Cystic Fibrosis, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and Hemoglobinopathies.
Additional Resources to Learn More about Expanded Carrier Screening

- ACOG Statement on “Carrier Screening in the Age of Genomic Medicine“
- ACOG Statement on “Carrier Screening for Genetic Conditions“
- FAQ for Patients on Carrier Screening

For example, NIPS can detect if the fetus has Trisomy 13, Trisomy 18, or Trisomy 21. This means that the fetus has three copies of that particular numbered chromosome (individuals typically have two copies of each chromosome). Other conditions that can be determined through NIPS, depending on the type of screening done, can include Triploidy and 45,X.
Additional Resources to Learn More about Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening

