Human genetic variation is associated with many, if not all, human diseases and disabilities. New discoveries/technologies that have a genetics flavor are regularly reported in the lay press. This presentation will demonstrate that with a little genetic knowledge, you can be empowered to better appreciate, for example, how genealogical testing companies can utilize a sample of your DNA to describe your ancestral origins, or how disease mutations like the one for sickle cell disease that occurred only a handful of times, in some instances only once, in history have become so common in certain racial groups.

Trudy L. Burns, MPH, PhD, University of Iowa Professor, College of Public Health, Carver College of Medicine, and College of Nursing, will present “Be Empowered with a Little Genetic Knowledge” on Sunday, Jan. 18, at the University Club, 1360 Melrose Ave., Iowa City. Burns’ talk is part of The Triangle Club lecture series. A socializer will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by brunch at noon and the program at 12:45 p.m. There is a fee for the meal.

Burns was trained as a biostatistician/genetic epidemiologist. Her research career has focused primarily on cardiovascular disease epidemiology as reflected in her more than 30-year involvement with The Muscatine Study, a longitudinal observational study of cardiovascular disease risk factors that began in 1970 with measurement of blood pressure, lipids, and body size in the school children of Muscatine, Iowa. Burns has served on numerous NIH grant review committees and monitoring boards; she is an author/co-author on more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and is co-editor of the book Pediatric Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.