Handbook of Genomics and the Family

Kenneth P. Tercyak, PhD is an associate professor in the Division of Health Outcomes and Health Behaviors of the Department of Oncology and in Pediatrics at the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC. He received his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and doctor of philosophy in clinical psychology from the University of Florida's College of Public Health and Health Professions. Dr. Tercyak's research has focused on cancer prevention and control among children, adolescents, and families. This includes investigations of the social and behavioral aspects of genetic testing for hereditary cancer syndromes among parents, developing and testing strategies for informed decision making and communication support in cancer genetics, and evaluating long-term outcomes among children growing-up in environments affected by familial cancer. Dr. Tercyak's other investigations have included a focus on biopsychosocial influences on youth smoking adoption, pediatric cancer survivorship, adolescent health promotion, and predictive testing for common disease risk. He has received continuous funding by the National Institutes of Health since 1998, including a National Research Service Award and Research Career Development Award from the National Cancer Institute, and funding from the National Human Genome Research Institute's Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications research program and the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Tercyak's scholarly contributions consist of more than 75 journal articles and book chapters. He has delivered invited presentations at a number of scientific organizations, including the American Society of Human Genetics, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Dr. Tercyak is a Full Member of the Division of Population Sciences and the Jess and Mildred Fisher Center for Familial Cancer Research at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown. He is also a member of the Behavioral Medicine Study Section of the National Institutes of Health, and former member of the psychosocial peer review committees of the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation; he has served as a grant reviewer for other National Institutes of Health study sections and special emphasis panels and international research organizations as well. Dr. Tercyak is a reviewer for a number of professional journals. Currently, he is serving a term as Associate Editor for prevention science at the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and is a member of the incoming editorial board at Health Psychology.

From the reviews: "This book not only aims to provide a review of the state of the science, but also to explore the larger psychosocial and ethical issues inherent on this new frontier. It is appropriate for clinical and health psychologists, psychiatrists, genetic counselors, and others interested in the field. ... This is a comprehensive book on a difficult, but important topic. ... The integration of the genetic and disease models with psychosocial challenges is a particularly strong point for the book." (Christopher J. Graver, Doody's Review Service, January, 2011)

• to Genomics.- Key Concepts in Human Genomics and Epidemiology.- Psychological Genetics: Understanding the Nature of Psychological Differences Through Etiology.- Cross-Cutting Issues in Children and Families.- Understanding Gene, Environment, and Gene × Environment Interaction Effects: The Example of Childhood Externalizing Disorders.- Process in Genetic Counseling: Considerations for Children and Their Families.- Genomics and the Family: Integrative Frameworks.- Potential Impact of Genomic Information on Childhood Sibling Relationships.- Family Communication of Genomic Information.- Conveying Genetic Risk to Teenagers.- Genes, Behavior, and Health.- Prenatal Screening and Diagnosis.- Single Gene Disease Risk.- Hereditary Cancer Risk.- Type 1 Diabetes Risk.- Cardiovascular Disease Risk.- Obesity Risk.- Tobacco and Alcohol Use Behaviors.- Childhood Neuropsychiatric Risk.- Genomic Risk Information for Common Health Conditions: Maximizing Kinship-Based Health Promotion.- Emerging Issues.- Pediatric Pharmacogenomics.- Informed Consent and the Protection of Human Subjects in Genomic Research with Children and Families.- Ethical, Legal and Social Issues in the Genetic Testing of Minors.- Guidelines and Policies on Genetic Testing in Children and Families.- Training, Practice, and Collaboration: New Opportunities for Pediatric Psychology and Genomic Medicine.- Public Health Genomics.