New Director of Scientific Programs Named for All of Us Research Program at UA-Banner

Jason Hansen Karnes, PharmD, PhD, BCPS, FAHA, has been named director of scientific programs for the All of Us Research Program team at the University of Arizona and Banner Health.

Dr. Karnes is an assistant professor at  the UA College of Pharmacy in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science. He also is an assistant professor in the Division of Pharmacogenomics at the Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic Medicine at  the UA Health Sciences; assistant professor of applied biosciences at the UA Graduate Interdisciplinary Program; and a member of the UA Sarver Heart Center.

A pharmacogenetics expert, Dr. Karnes’ research involves studying the effect of genetics on drug response. His work uses electronic medical records to identify genetic influences on disease and severe side effects of common medications. Using “big data” and bioinformatics, Dr. Karnes aims to personalize drug treatment by identifying genetic variation that can be used to diagnose and prevent these severe side effects.

A board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist, Dr. Karnes has authored numerous manuscripts and abstracts about genome-wide association studies, pharmacogenomics of severe adverse drug reactions, pulmonary arterial hypertension and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, a condition in which a person has a low blood platelet count.

Dr. Karnes will work with UA faculty members to leverage opportunities for scientific innovation and research using the All of Us Research Program’s resources, including access to the researcher datasets and tools. Dr. Karnes will attend Arizona leadership strategy meetings and participate in All of Us research consortium workgroups and other meetings. Please visit Dr. Karnes' faculty and laboratory websites for more information.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) leads the All of Us Research Program, and the UA and Banner Health are partners in this nationwide precision medicine research effort. The UA and Banner Health enroll participants at 14 sites in Phoenix, Tucson and Nogales.

Unlike a single research study focused on a specific disease or population, All of Us will serve as a national research resource to inform thousands of studies, covering a wide variety of health conditions that affect many people.

All eligible adults who live in the United States can join the All of Us Research Program and U.S. citizenship or permanent residency are not needed to enroll. Only people 18 or older can join at this time. There are three ways to enroll:

• Visit the All of Us website, AllofUsAZ.org.
• Download the All of Us Research Program app (Google Play or iTunes).
• Visit one of the Arizona enrollment locations listed at AllofUsAZ.org/locations.

Participants will be asked to create an account, give consent, agree to share access to their electronic health records and to answer health surveys. They also may be invited to visit a Banner Health site for a free appointment to have their physical measurements taken and to provide blood and urine samples. Upon completion of all of these activities, participants are compensated $25.   

Participants will have opportunities over many years to provide additional data about themselves that will help researchers learn more about how individual differences in lifestyle, environment and biological makeup can influence health and disease. By taking part, participants will contribute to an effort to advance the health of generations to come.

The All of Us Research Program at University of Arizona and Banner Health is funded by National Institutes of Health Award OT2OD026549. “All of Us” is a registered service mark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

About the University of Arizona Health Sciences

The University of Arizona Health Sciences is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training. The UA Health Sciences includes the UA Colleges of Medicine (Phoenix and Tucson), Nursing, Pharmacy and the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with main campus locations in Tucson and the growing Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix. From these vantage points, the UA Health Sciences reaches across the state of Arizona and the greater Southwest to provide cutting-edge health education, research, patient care and community outreach services. A major economic engine, the UA Health Sciences employs approximately 4,000 people, has approximately 800 faculty members and garners more than $140 million in research grants and contracts annually. For more information: uahs.arizona.edu (Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn)

About Banner Health

Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 28 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner – University Medicine, academic and employed physician groups, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services; including Banner Urgent Care, family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com.