Genomics Defined

Genetics is the study of variation in just one or a few genes a time.

Genomics is the study of variation in thousands of genes at a time. http://www.genomicawareness.org/index.htm

Genetics vs. Genomics: The two terms are sometimes used interchangeably.  However, genetics usually refers to single genes, while genomics refers to all the genes in a person or organism.  The human genome is a person’s complete set of DNA. http://www.sph.unc.edu/nciph/phgenetics/knowledge.
htm

Genetics is the study of inheritance, or the way traits are passed down from one generation to another. Genes carry the instructions for making proteins, which in turn direct the activities of cells and functions of the body that influence traits such as hair and eye color. Genomics is a newer term that describes the study of all the genes in a person, as well as interactions of those genes with each other and with that person’s environment. http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/public/faq.htm

Genetics is the study of single genes and their effects.

Genome refers to all of the genetic material (DNA) belonging to an organism.

Genomics is the study of the functions and interactions of all the genes in the genome, including their interactions with environmental factors.

Source: Guttmacher AE, Collins FS. Genomic Medicine – A Primer. NEJM. 2002 November; 347(19): 1512

Genomics is the function and interaction of all the elements of the human genome with the environment in relation to health and disease.

Source: Kristin Peterson-Oehlke, Minnesota Department of Health, 2004

Public Health Genomics Defined

Public Health Genomics is the application and inclusion of genomic information and tools in public health planning, policy and programs.

Genomic tools are approaches and products based on genomic information that can be used to address public health issues.

Source: “Genomic Tools in Public Health” in Genomics and Population Health: United States 2003: 89-94

Genomics and Public Health FAQ