The work of the Human Genome Project, which was completed in 2003 and identified all of the genes in human DNA, has provided information about the role of genes in health and disease that is now essential for all public health workers. Genetic and genomic science is leading to new understanding of the health and human illness continuum. All nurses need to use genetic and genomic information and technology when providing care. Why is genomics important? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines genetics as "the study of inheritance, or the way traits are passed down from one generation to another" (CDC, 2006a) or the study of individual genes and their impact on relatively rare single gene disorders (Guttmacher and Collins, 2002). Genomics is a newer term that "describes the study of all the genes in a person, as well as interactions of those genes with each other and with that person's environment" (CDC, 2006b). Genomics would include the influence of psychosocial and cultural factors (Guttmacher and Collins, 2002). Because of the crucial importance of the study of the broader concept genomics to public health, the CDC has identified competencies, or the applied skills and knowledge, that mem¬bers of the public health workforce need to effectively practice public health. Overall, a public health worker should be able to