Speaker Profile
M.D., MS, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Aetna
Biography
Harold L. Paz, M.D., M.S., is executive vice president and chief medical officer for Aetna. A member of the company’s executive committee, he leads clinical strategy and policy for of all of Aetna’s domestic and global businesses. Before joining Aetna in 2014, Dr. Paz served as CEO of Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Health System, senior vice president for Health Affairs and dean of the College of Medicine at Penn State University. Prior to Penn State he was dean of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Group.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2019 Silicon Valley
Session Synopsis: Historically, genetic testing has only been available to a small number of qualified patients and high-risk families after serious disease has already been detected — largely because of cost and clinical utility considerations. However, family history can be a relatively poor indicator of risk for a variety of reasons and a growing body of clinical evidence suggests that serious Mendelian-inherited genetic conditions (of which there are over 4,000) are far more prevalent in the general population than previously appreciated. As comprehensive genetic testing becomes more affordable and accessible it will also become increasingly available and clinically actionable for healthy individuals in the primary care setting. The day in which we can test for all known inherited genetic conditions for a cost of a few hundred dollars is rapidly approaching and will forever change our approach to preventive medicine.
