Handbook of Genomics and the Family: Psychosocial Context for Children and Adolescents

The Handbook of Genomics and the Family details, in one authoritative volume, the challenges entailed by the latest genetic advances and offers insights into the potential translation of this knowledge in pediatric and family practice and public health. This timely and comprehensive reference: Introduces readers to the study of how genes, singly and in combination with each other and the environment, affect health and behavior; Summarizes current findings on genetics and genomics in disease etiology and prevention; Provides family-focused perspectives relating to genetic counseling and education. The Handbook of Genomics and the Family is essential reading for clinical child and pediatric psychologists and psychiatrists, pediatricians and nurses, clinical geneticists and genetic counselors, and public health specialists as advances in genetics lead the way to more personalized models of health.

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.