Dear Jason,

We are excited to share that Governor Newsom's January budget proposal includes nearly $20M for precision medicine. The funding would support new depression research and a collaborative project to increase participation of underrepresented communities in biomedical research studies.

Read on to learn more about Governor Newsom's budget proposal, updates from the Advisory Council, a calendar of external events, and a list of funding opportunities.

In partnership,

The CIAPM Team

Newsom Administration Proposes $19.3M for Precision Medicine

On January 10, Governor Newsom released his 2022–2023 state budget proposal, the California Blueprint. Included is a $19.3M allocation for CIAPM: $10M for research to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of depression with a focus on underserved populations, and $9.3M to create a cross-sector network of state agencies, nonprofits, and universities with the goal of boosting representation in biomedical research.

This proposal sets in motion a months-long period of negotiations with the Legislature that will conclude with a budget bill passed by both the Senate and the Assembly, signed by the Governor, and enacted July 1, 2022.

Budget Goal: Addressing Depression With Precision

The current trial-and-error approach to depression treatment can be costly and dangerous, potentially subjecting patients to prolonged suffering, significant side effects, and debilitating changes to medication regimens.

“The lack of reliable biomarkers for depression and suicidality makes diagnosis and treatment metrics difficult across cultures, genders, age, and other factors. Precision medicine techniques like pharmacogenetics can increasingly offer physicians modern tools to accurately identify which patients will benefit from a given therapeutic,” said Clara Lajonchere, PhD, Chair of the California Precision Medicine Advisory Council.

COVID-19 continues to devastate community-wide mental health. New research is urgently needed to increase clinical and social options to combat the current and anticipated surge in depression, especially in underserved communities.

Using the principles of precision medicine to address depression involves harnessing the power of computational analytics, next-generation genetic sequencing, and data sharing and aggregation to provide interventions that are tailored to a specific patient, instead of an “average patient.”

The 2018 report Precision Medicine: An Action Plan for California identifies depression as an area in which precision medicine research can benefit patients in the short and long term.

These depression research funds would be competitively granted to research institutions that partner with community groups and/or county clinics that provide services to Californians that suffer from depression at disproportionate rates. As with previous CIAPM RFPs, research teams must be co-hosted by at least one academic research institution and one nonprofit community/patient organization.

Budget Goal: Equitable Inclusion in Biomedical Research

Diversity in all its forms is one of California’s greatest assets. So too is the state’s world-class biomedical research ecosystem, pushing the boundaries of science in service of health and wellbeing. Not all Californians have benefitted equally, however, from cutting-edge innovations. Disparities continue to grow for patients in rural settings, communities of color, for those with disabilities, and others. One of the many upstream explanations is the lack of representation in research. Simply put, folks who are not engaged in research studies may not be able to see themselves in the results.

The Governor’s proposed budget includes $9.3M to increase representation in biomedical research so that scientific advances better reflect California's diversity. CIAPM will lead an interagency collaboration to develop best practices, create informational materials, and host events to raise awareness and strengthen participation among underrepresented communities in research studies.

“The Governor’s vision of a California for All necessitates cross-sector leadership across our state’s scientific landscape to pursue health equity as the primary focus. Until researchers embrace the full range of social, physiological, economic, cultural, geographic, and other determinants of health, current disparities are likely to persist. As the Governor’s long-range and strategic planning office, we are excited to lead this effort to advance health and medical strategies that work for all Californians,” commented Sam Assefa, MCP, Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.

Programmatic Updates

Farewell to Longtime Policy Fellow Hyunsoo Gloria Kim

This month, Gloria concludes their 17-month CIAPM Policy Fellowship and will soon defend their PhD thesis in Microbiology at UC Davis. Gloria joined our team in August 2020 and immediately began assisting with the first ACEs Selection Committee meeting. In the fall, they contributed to the first-ever California Surgeon General’s report Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health, and served on the report’s reference management team.

Throughout 2021, they wrote weekly COVID-19 literature reviews for members of Governor Newsom’s COVID-19 Testing Task Force. Gloria has been an active team member in the Governor’s Office of Planning & Research. They have made many valuable contributions, including leading an educational presentation and discussion for OPR staff on the 2021 National Liberation Day of Korea.

We give Gloria our best wishes for completing their PhD and whole-hearted gratitude for elevating the quality of our work, especially in health and social equity.

Advisory Council Updates

Data Integration

The Data Integration Working Group next meets on January 25 to continue discussions about the state’s efforts to accelerate the application of social determinants of health in clinical, research, and administrative decision-making. Entities involved with these efforts include the California Health and Human Services Data Exchange Framework, the California Department of Health Care Access and Information All Payer Claims Database, and the Coleridge Administrative Data Research Facility. Interoperability between diverse datasets and data types remains a monumental challenge across sectors and disciplines. Nominations for external experts are most welcome at ciapm@opr.ca.gov.

Equitable Consent

The Equitable Consent Working Group continues to make progress toward their goal of creating a website with information about the importance of diversity in biomedical research and tools for precision medicine stakeholders to make research more inclusive. They are in the process of working with patient advocacy groups, pharmaceutical companies, state agencies, and experts in the field of research participant diversification to craft strategies for outreach and content review. The next Equitable Consent Working Group meeting is scheduled for February 10.

Learn more about the working groups