Family Health History Day is Thanksgiving Day

In 2004, U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, declared Thanksgiving Day as Family Health History Day. We would like to reflect on the importance of Family Health History Day and the way pharmacists can play a vital role in the assessment of family history throughout the year. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists note that screening for family history of disease is important for the detection of many conditions. 1 US Preventive Services Task Force, Owens DK, Davidson KW, et al. Risk assessment, genetic counseling, and genetic testing for BRCA-related cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement [published correction appears in JAMA. 2019;322(18):1830]. JAMA. 2019;322(7):652–665. Google Scholar , 2 Committee on Genetics of the American College of Obstetricians and GynecologistsFamily history as a risk assessment tool. Committee Opinion 478. 2011. https://www.acog.org/-/media/project/acog/acogorg/clinical/files/committee-opinion/articles/2011/03/family-history-as-a-risk-assessment-tool.pdfDate: 2011 Date accessed: November 8, 2022 Google Scholar Family history collection is essential to good clinical practice (1) to identify rare but significant Mendelian genetic disorders (e.g., hereditary breast cancer, familial hypercholesterolemia) and (2) to engage in precision medicine, which may involve multifactorial conditions (such as cardiovascular disease) and pharmacogenomics. 3 Guttmacher A.E. Collins F.S. Carmona R.H. The family history — more important than ever. N Engl J Med. 2004; 351: 2333-2336 Crossref PubMed Scopus (400) Google Scholar Pharmacists may play their most important role in the latter.