The Pioneer Portfolio made its first grants in late 2003. Given the relative youth of this Portfolio, Grant Results Reports are not yet available but will be in the future. To provide a sense of the Portfolio’s innovative spirit, below are summaries of Grant Results Reports on some of RWJF’s past exploratory grantmaking in genetics, now overseen by the Pioneer Portfolio. Visit the Foundation’s Web site www.rwjf.org for more Grant Results Reports.

Health Professionals Learn to Unravel Genetics for Their Patients
Between 1997 and 2003 RWJF funded three grants for genetics education among health professionals which helped establish the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics. This interdisciplinary group of 135 organizations promotes health professional education in the area of genetics. The coalition became a clearinghouse for questions and assistance in genetics from health care professionals and the public. Project staff developed the Core Competencies in Genetics Essential for All Health-Care Professionals, a guide which defines the knowledge, skills and attitudes that health care professionals need to integrate genetics into their work. Staff also created a Web site, www.nchpeg.org, which includes information on continuing education for health professionals and a newsletter titled Genetic Family History in Practice, which helps educators and providers learn about the role of genetic family history in health care. See the Grant Results Report at www.rwjf.org/ portfolios/resources/grantsreport.jsp?filename=043547.htm.

Web Tool for Gathering Family Health History Performs Better than Usual Methods
From 1998 through 2002, researchers at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center developed and tested a Web-based tool for collecting family health history. Called Health Heritage, the tool guides individuals as they input family history information. Then it applies a set of 89 evidence-based rules to assess the individual’s risk of developing certain conditions in five disease areas: oncology, cardiology, vascular disease, neurology and endocrinology. In live tests, the tool did better than the usual methods for gathering family health information, which include a chart review. It performed almost as well as an interview with a genetics counselor—considered the gold standard for getting pertinent family genetics information. The tool has the potential to enhance communication between primary care providers and individuals about their risks for common diseases with genetic components. See the Grant Results Report at www.rwjf.org/ portfolios/resources/grantsreport.jsp?filename=040685.htm.

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