Cedars-Sinai is proud to be participating in the All of Us Research Program, a nationwide effort from the National Institutes of Health to gather data on 1 million or more participants.

The data gathered will serve as a resource to see how differences in background, lifestyle, and environment can influence health and disease.

"The All of Us Research Program is closely aligned with the Cedars-Sinai mission to speed up health research and medical breakthroughs, offering a unique opportunity for our community to participate in a revolutionary approach towards disease prevention, detection, and treatment," says co-principal investigator Marc Goodman, PhD.

Human research studies have primarily involved Caucasian men. Due to this lack of diversity, the results of those studies aren't always applicable to the larger population.

"To fill these gaps in our scientific knowledge and to ensure that medical advances work for everyone, we want the 1 million or more participants to reflect the rich diversity of the United States," says Goodman.

Serious health disparities have emerged over decades of research that suggest certain health conditions affect some groups of people more than others, or that specific therapies work better for select groups.

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"Over the next few years, I hope there will be enough participants that researchers will be able to see patterns that can be used to develop better medicine or treatments," says co-principal investigator Spencer SooHoo, PhD.

"I believe we will see some exciting research take place that will help us realize the promise of precision medicine and we can better treat patients based on their unique traits rather than using the current 'one-size-fits-all' approach."

Participants also get something back—access to their own data and the study data.

"I tell people who participate that seeing how their health data compares to other participants' is one immediate benefit, but the big payoff is for their children and grandchildren," SooHoo says.

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All of Us is looking for adults of every race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, and health status to participate. After signing up online and giving your consent, you’ll be asked to:

• Share your electronic health records (optional)
• Answer health surveys through the Participant Portal
• Have height and weight measurements taken and give blood and urine samples

Long-term, you may also be asked to:

• Send updates about your health and lifestyle
• Join other studies or clinical trials (optional)

To sign up, please visit allofus.cedars-sinai.edu.