Our History

In 2001, Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Partners HealthCare established the Harvard-Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics (HPCGG). This original Center was launched before completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP) as an early commitment to, and in recognition of the implications that genomic knowledge could have for improving human health. HPCGG offered a framework for:

• Aiding genetic discovery;
• Stimulating research that would lead to the integration of genetic knowledge into patient care;
• Developing an information infrastructure that would facilitate the application of genetic and genomic data in research and clinical settings;
• Applying genetic discoveries and technological advances in developing molecular diagnostic tests that could be used in everyday medical practice; and
• Building an education program that would expand the number of clinicians and investigators trained in genetics and genomics.

In late 2008, the name of the Center was changed to the Partners HealthCare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine (PCPGM) to reflect:

• A heightened focus on translational issues related to moving genetics and genomics into clinical practice
• A shift of direct genetic discovery out of the Center and into affiliated academic medical centers; and
• Partners HealthCare's emphasis on personalized medicine.

In early 2014, PCPGM became Partners HealthCare Personalized Medicine to reflect the broadening meaning of Personalized Medicine beyond the study of genetics and molecular biology to encompass full genome and exome sequencing and the study of genomics, as well as biobanking and the IT applications necessary to facilitate the rapid expansion and dissemination of new data produced by this work.