University of Utah epidemiologist Mary Jo Pugh leads efforts to better understand veterans’ health outcomes, especially for those with TBI, and how to improve them. Her team has documented several instances where veterans are at greater risk for negative outcomes, such as suicide, cancer,  cardiovascular disease and mental illness.

In a new Northwestern Medicine study, scientists have developed a more precise genetic risk score to determine whether a person is likely to develop arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat that can lead to serious conditions such as atrial fibrillation (AFib) or sudden cardiac death.

Their approach not only improves the accuracy of heart disease risk prediction but also offers a comprehensive framework for genetic testing that, according to the scientists, could be applied to anything, including other complex, genetically influenced diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s Disease and autism.