National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program
Since 2018, the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) has been a proud partner of the National Institute of Health’s All of Us Research Program.
Join All of Us at Annual Conference
The All of Us Research Program, run by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is a national effort. Our partners at LSU Health will be on-site at the Annual Conference to collect biosamples from participants who choose to offer them. As a participant in All of Us, you may choose what samples you would like to contribute, and when. There is no charge to join the program. You can start the enrollment process digitally, either through the All of Us App, or the website. After filling out your enrollment information, you can schedule your appointment on Tuesday, May 7th here Wednesday, May 8th here, or Thursday, May 9th here.
The All of Us Research Program is a large research program. The goal is to help researchers understand more about why people get sick or stay healthy. We hope that at least one million people will join the All of Us Research Program. People who join will give information about their health, habits, what it’s like where they live, and if they will want information about their DNA. By looking for patterns in this information, researchers may learn more about what affects people’s health.
People from rural communities have often been left out of research. As a result, we know less about their health and ways to provide them with the best care. They also face different health challenges than people who live in cities. For example, they are more likely to have obesity or high blood pressure. They are also more likely to die from health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. By joining All of Us, people in rural areas can help ensure their community is included in health research. This research could help people understand health conditions that are more common in rural communities.
People join for many reasons. Some people join because they may:
- Learn more about their health.
- Help improve the health of their communities for future generations.
- Help researchers find ways for people to stay healthy.
The All of Us Research Program will last for 10 years or more. This will allow researchers to study health over time. If you decide to join the All of Us Research Program, you will be contributing to an effort to improve the health of generations to come.
If you decide to join All of Us, the program will ask you to share different kinds of information. They will ask you basic information like your name and where you live, questions about your health, family, home, and work. If you have an electronic health record, they may ask for access. They might also ask you to give samples, like blood or urine. They also want to know if you will want information about your DNA.
All of Us will take great care to protect your information. Here are a few of the steps they will take:
- Information they have about you will be stored on protected computers. They will limit and keep track of who sees the information.
- They will remove your name and other direct identifiers (like your Social Security number) from your information and replace them with a code.
- Researchers must promise not to try to find out who you are.
- They will tell you if there is a risk to your privacy because of a data breach.
- The All of Us Research Program has Certificates of Confidentiality from the U.S. government. This will help them fight legal demands (such as a court order) to give out information that could identify you.
Learn More
From the beginning, NRHA has been an affiliate of the Community and Provider Gateway Initiative, a cross-section of grassroots organizations helping to build program infrastructure, raise awareness about the value of participation, and drive enrollment in populations historically underrepresented in biomedical research, including rural.
All of Us, the All of Us logo, and "The Future of Health Begins With You" are registered service marks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.