The President’s Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) is dedicated to enabling a new era of medicine through research, technology, and policies that will lead to the development of individualized, tailored treatments for patients. This vision will allow everyone to become an active participant in scientific discovery – furthering an open and inclusive model for better recruitment of and partnership with research participants. Why is this so important? We have seen incredible innovations in health care, and central to many of those advances have been people participating in research. PMI will provide the foundation that allows all Americans to sign up and share their data in a safe and responsible way, leading to scientific breakthroughs that will ultimately pave the way to better options for patients.

And that’s why we want to hear from YOU.

In July, the White House celebrated nine remarkable Champions of Change in Precision Medicine and highlighted the efforts of organizations committed to providing more individuals with easier, more efficient access to their health data.

Hear more about the importance of this initiative from nearly a dozen researchers and advocates here.

Moving precision medicine forward must be a team effort. We need all sectors to work together. We need people to actively engage in research and voluntarily choose to share their data with responsible researchers who are working to understand health and disease. We need healthcare providers to share their insight and help translate new findings into better care. And we need a strong, secure, and nimble infrastructure for health data that protects privacy, ensures security and facilitates new research models. Leaders in healthcare must continue to work with the brightest minds from the technology sector on designing and testing new methods for opening up patient data and allowing individuals to donate their data to research. Over the course of this administration, we’ve seen incredible advances in health technology, including widespread adoption of electronic health records. Yet, there is still more work to do. Too many people are unable to access, share, or move their health data easily.

That’s why we’re looking to a broad range of stakeholders to learn about new or expanded initiatives and programs aimed at enabling new ways to improve health and treat disease – and ways to use this information to inform our precision medicine efforts going forward.

We know of exciting work in each of the key areas listed below, and are looking for additional examples of these types of efforts.  These initiatives could include:

• New approaches for deploying precision medicine into patient care to improve health.
• Exciting new ways to engage patients, participants, and partners in research, and get the word out about PMI, including through the use of novel technologies.
• The deployment of innovative ways of including historically excluded and underserved populations in research.
• The development of robust APIs in electronic health record systems that can support patients accessing their clinical data and donating it for research.
• The creation of workable models of information sharing across organizational boundaries with appropriate privacy and security protections.
• Technology to support the storage and analysis of large amounts of data, with strong security safeguards.
• Novel analytics to help combine diverse data sets with appropriate privacy and security protections to answer precision medicine questions.
• New solutions for security issues in building large research data sets.
• Steps to increase the number of high quality data scientists and technologists working in healthcare.
• The development of grand challenges, competitions, and prizes to foster innovation.

Please share any new activities that support these goals or others that advance precision medicine here by 5 PM ET on September 21, 2015. With support from patients, research participants, researchers, providers, and private sector innovators, we can make precision medicine a reality. We need your creativity, on-the-ground experience, and enthusiasm to realize the promise of delivering individually tailored treatments to patients. Visit the White House Precision Medicine website to share your experience and help with this important initiative. We’re listening.

Stephanie Devaney is Project Manager for the Precision Medicine Initiative.

Last week, we took you behind the scenes of some of the summer's most momentous White House moments. This week, we'll preview some of the exciting events on the President's schedule in the weeks to come.

We know that when it comes to action on climate change, some of the best work is happening in small towns and big cities across the country. 

Earlier this year, local leaders in Fort Collins, Colorado, unanimously adopted some of the most aggressive goals in the nation to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions: 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2030, which would put the city on a path to be carbon neutral by 2050.  And in Salt Lake City, Utah, community leaders have put forward the “Sustainable Salt Lake – Plan 2015” that reflects a broad and ambitious agenda to protect its city’s resources, enhance local assets, and establish a path toward greater resiliency and vitality for the community.

But we also know that local resources are often stretched thin, particularly in the low-income communities that need help the most. The third U.S. National Climate Assessment noted that socioeconomic disparities can exacerbate the vulnerability of certain populations, including low-income communities and some communities of color, due in part to limited capacity and resources necessary to prepare and adapt. For example, sea level rise poses the greatest risk to those who live in low-lying neighborhoods on the coast – communities that are often home to vulnerable populations. Rates of asthma – which may be exacerbated by climate change – among African American children are more than double the rates of white children, and Hispanic children are nearly twice as likely as white children to be hospitalized for asthma. 

That’s why, last month, the Administration announced Resilience AmeriCorps, a first-of-its-kind effort to support local resilience-building efforts.  The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have partnered with The Rockefeller Foundation and Cities of Service to place Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) members in communities to provide capacity building and technical support for climate resilience. Through the program, VISTAs will provide much needed capacity for communities to do things like develop climate preparedness plans, build volunteer networks, and take advantage of the resilience tools available through our Climate Resilience Toolkit.

Today, we are thrilled to share the announce of the cities selected for the Resilience AmeriCorps pilot program: Anchorage, Alaska; Boulder, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; El Paso, Texas; Minot, North Dakota; New Orleans, Louisiana; Norfolk, Virginia; Phoenix, Arizona; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.  

Today’s announcement responds to a key recommendation of the State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. Last fall, the Task Force told us that local jurisdictions could greatly benefit from focused climate resilience and preparedness expertise provided by programs such as those established by CNCS. Resilience AmeriCorps members will help local leaders in these cities as they plan for and address the impacts of extreme weather events and other climate-related risks while also helping local governments and communities develop the programs, relationships, and capacity needed to support greater community resilience. 

With cities, states, and tribes already confronting the costly impacts of climate change, the Administration remains determined in working hand-in-hand with communities as they develop smart strategies and stronger partnerships for building climate resilience.

Today, the White House is launching a new Tumblr account called “Letters to President Obama,” where we'll highlight letters that Americans have written to the President. Follow along here.

Earlier this morning, Natoma Canfield — a cancer survivor from Ohio — sent the following message to the White House email list, sharing what happened when she wrote the President a letter encouraging him to “stay focused” in his efforts to reform America's health care system.

Didn't get the email? Sign up for email updates here.

In December of 2009, I was a 50-year-old divorced woman, self-employed, and struggling to support myself and pay for my health insurance.

But in 1995, I'd had a very small bout with breast cancer — carcinoma in situ — which meant the insurance companies would forever see me as a woman with cancer. And that meant I had to pay more for my insurance.

My rates kept going up until I couldn't pay for my insurance any longer. I sure tried — I cut back everything, but nothing made a difference. I had to cancel.

In a last-ditch effort, desperate to let someone know my plight, I wrote President Obama a letter straight from my heart. I shared my story with him and told him how much people like me needed his help. And he actually read it!

A few months later, however, my fears came true. In March of 2010, I passed out at work, and found out soon after that I had a rare type of leukemia — acute lymphoblastic leukemia with the Philadelphia chromosome, to be specific.

I went to the Cleveland Clinic and was placed in a great program on their leukemia floor, where I would fight for my life. While I was there, my sister Connie Anderson was asked to introduce the President at an event in Strongsville, Ohio.

Then one day, the President sent me a note, then another — and even called me on the phone. I couldn't believe it. Connie and my brother Ken were able to go to the signing of the Affordable Care Act, and later I finally got to meet the President myself in Parma, Ohio.

I really believe all of the excitement helped keep me alive. And today, I'm happy to say that I'm cancer-free.

Of course, I can't begin to thank the President enough for the Affordable Care Act. During the fight to pass the law, he said that he carried my story with him every day, as a reminder of what the Act would mean for people all across our country. He later decided to frame the letter, which is now hanging up outside the Oval Office.

As the President has said, “because of this law, there are other Americans — other sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers — who will not have to hang their fortunes on chance. These are the Americans for whom we passed this law.”

I'm so grateful to have a President who truly cares about the people that he serves.

Natoma Canfield
Medina, Ohio

To see some more of the letters that people across America have written to President Obama, follow our “Letters to President Obama” Tumblr account here.

Whether it’s a garage, a basement, a dorm room, or—if you’re like me—a kitchen, a great idea can ignite just about anywhere. In America, those small sparks of innovation have defined who we are as people—creators, risk-takers, and boundary-breakers who know our unwavering commitment to a single dream can significantly reshape our reality.

In America, anyone with a good idea can grow into a successful entrepreneur. And it’s so important that they do, because it is their small businesses that create jobs and drive our economy. However, when it comes to starting a business in America, we are currently ranked 46th in the world. It’s time to change that. 

Today, high-growth companies across the country are connecting with their Members of Congress in the third annual Startup Day Across America.

This event, championed by Congressman Jared Polis of Colorado, gives Members and entrepreneurs a chance to discuss the challenges small businesses face, and to identify ways that Congress can support the startup economy. 

American ingenuity remains one of the most valuable resources in the world. Beyond just tech, entrepreneurs in Colorado and beyond are reshaping the world of aerospace, energy, bioscience, food, outdoor recreation, and even beer. Startups are responsible for the majority of new jobs in the US – we’ve got to make sure we’re supporting these job creators with policies that help, not hinder them.

Congressman Jared Polis

Startup Day shows that both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue understand the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship to the country’s economy. President Obama has made supporting entrepreneurship a top priority—and under his leadership, we’ve worked to make sure every American innovator has the chance to get good ideas off the ground.

Earlier this month, we hosted the first-ever White House Demo Day, part of the President’s Startup America initiative to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship. The President welcomed dozens of startups from around the country to share their stories, showcasing the full breadth of the country’s entrepreneurial talent.  

The theme for Demo Day was Inclusive Entrepreneurship, working to make sure all talent in our country has access to the entrepreneurial ecosystem—an ecosystem that is the envy of the world. Today many women, people of color or those not in certain metro areas do not have access to the same growth capital and other important resources to support their startup to scale. Some people are not encouraged to start business or join in the startup economy.

As part of working to expand access for all entrepreneurial Americans, we announced specific new commitments on Demo Day, from 40 leading venture capital firms, over a dozen major technology companies, and more than a hundred deans of engineering schools, to promote diversity throughout the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We announced or extended programs from the Departments of Commerce, Energy, and Health and Human Services that support startup companies around the country.  

We also announced grant winners in two new Small Business Administration programs: “Startup in a Day,” and the Growth Accelerator Fund.  Both programs are designed to spark inclusive entrepreneurship across the country, especially outside traditional centers for venture capital.

Startup In a Day has a simple goal: Help entrepreneurs find, understand, and apply to meet the requirements for starting a business—in less than one day. The SBA is partnering with 25 cities and two Native American communities to develop online tools that consolidate startup information and streamline permitting processes. Every community involved has pledged to share best practices through the National League of Cities, so cities and towns across the country can help their own entrepreneurs get off the ground more quickly.

The Growth Accelerator Fund supports “accelerator” organizations, which help startups obtain the capital, mentorship, and institutional support they need to grow. Through this fund, the SBA will provide selected accelerators $4 million to expand their efforts, helping more founders and small businesses get good ideas moving.

But our work to support entrepreneurs and small businesses isn’t done. Updating our trade policy is another lever we can pull to help jumpstart American entrepreneurs. Here’s why: 95 percent of the world’s customers live outside the U.S. And when we compete for those customers on a level playing field, our innovators and small businesses are the far and away winners. 

That’s why President Obama is working to secure the Trans-Pacific Partnership—a high-standard, progressive trade agreement that can help level that playing field, open new markets, and set strong rules of the road that protect American businesses, workers, and values at home and abroad.  

Entrepreneurship is more important than ever to the future health of the country’s economy. President Obama will continue to work with Members of Congress like those celebrating Startup Day Across America today to give every American entrepreneur the opportunity to be a part of the country’s success—because the next big idea can come from anywhere.  

In December of 2013, President Obama brought a coalition of new mayors from across the country together to develop plans for America’s progress and growth based on federal-local partnerships. The President’s commitment to removing barriers in Washington has given mayors like me the tools and resources necessary to create a better economic environment in cities throughout the country. In the face of gridlock, mayors across the country are working hard to get things done. 

We in Pittsburgh know that we can't afford to wait for Congress — we need to take action and find partners where we can.

Our new sick leave policy, which I signed into law last week, is a great example of Pittsburgh taking the lead while Congress sits on its hands. America is the only developed nation without a comprehensive sick leave policy, and we could not sit idly by. Pittsburgh is proud to be the 20th city to adopt a paid sick leave policy. We genuinely believe that as one of America's most livable cities, we have a responsibility to ensure a high standard of living for all of our residents. This legislation supports the health and well-being of thousands of city residents, as well as raising the overall public health of our communities. I'm proud of the collaborative effort in City Council that resulted in a bill that provides workers the support they need without imposing an undue burden on our City's small businesses.

In addition to moving the President’s policy agenda forward, we have partnered on numerous initiatives. From the moment I took office, my administration has had direct access to federal support related to education, economic development, energy efficiency, immigration, manufacturing, community policing, workforce development and technology.

In the last year and a half, Pittsburgh has been a part of several White House initiatives that have had a direct impact on our region.

• Technology: The TechHire partnership is providing Pittsburghers the skills needed to be competitive in a global economy. In Pittsburgh we will pilot several youth-serving and one adult-serving accelerated training programs that will provide training to over 500 individuals by the end of 2016.
• My Brother’s Keeper: As an MBK Community, elected officials and local partners throughout the Pittsburgh region are working together to forge long-term and strategic programs to help the job and life development of at-risk youth, particularly young men of color.
• Crime and Safety: As part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing commitment to strengthening the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve and protect, Pittsburgh was selected as one of the first six cities to host pilot sites for the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice. The DOJ also awarded the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police $1.875 million to hire 15 new community oriented police officers starting in 2015.
• Immigration: In December of 2014, I joined more than 20 mayors from across the country to launch Cities United for Immigration Action (CUIA) — a nationwide coalition of mayors working together to ensure the successful implementation of the President’s immigration reform plan. This coalition is leading the national dialogue on immigration reform at the municipal level and taking a leadership role to influence policy change from the ground up. And we have launched the Welcoming Pittsburgh initiative and developed a local plan to improve the quality of life and economic prosperity for immigrants and native-born residents alike, which builds on the White House Task Force on New Americans.
• Veterans' Homelessness: In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, my administration has committed to ending veteran homelessness in Pittsburgh by the end of 2015.
• Advanced Manufacturing Initiative: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker awarded the Pittsburgh region a designation under the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership, making it one of 12 cities this year to receive unique federal support for long-term economic development growth in regional manufacturing.
• Clean Energy: Just last month, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz was in Pittsburgh to support a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Pittsburgh and the National Energy Technology Laboratory on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy on joint efforts to design 21st-century energy infrastructure for Pittsburgh. The outcomes of this MOU will help modernize delivery of utility services through new business models and markets, grow technology research and development opportunities and product manufacturing, reduce environmental impacts, enhance resilience and security through integrated district-based microgrid solutions, address affordability for consumers, and encourage workforce development.

We are happy to be an active partner with the White House on sick leave and many other initiatives. Pittsburgh is a City on the move, and we are grateful for the partnerships we’ve been able to create — both with other communities and with the President — that improve our quality of life and continue to make us America’s Most Livable City.

Bill Peduto is Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh.

Yesterday, the White House joined Spotify — and our DJ-in-Chief, President Obama, treated the world to his personal summer playlists (one for the daytime, one for the evening). If you missed it, check out his playlists here.

Obviously, the internet was pretty excited about it. So without further ado, here are some of our favorite responses:

.@POTUS Welcome to Spotify, Mr. President

— Spotify (@Spotify) August 14, 2015

President got me dancing like… #POTUSPlaylist GIF via @mikefarrell http://pic.twitter.com/6fy9vmyNul

— Jonathan Shariat (@DesignUXUI) August 14, 2015

having a moment because i have a @POTUS who puts @TalibKweli on his official playlist. and ain't too proud to beg. and the isley brothers.

— Maryann James-Daley (@missjames) August 14, 2015

@POTUS You truly are the hippest #POTUS ever!! Keep up the #Groove!

— Jerry Holden (@JerryHoldenCEO) August 14, 2015

#POTUSplaylist https://t.co/jpJ2IZIAuN

— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) August 14, 2015

Isleys, @TalibKweli, Stones, Howlin Wolf – the @POTUS @spotify playlist is solid: http://t.co/KHV7iqWrHP. And nite is for Nina. Good company

— Okkervil River (@okkervilriver) August 14, 2015

@POTUS wow epic

— Sam Sheffer (@samsheffer) August 14, 2015

@POTUS you are the coolest president ever. U were the one that introduced me years ago to @EspeSpalding. Going to check out your playlist

— CoralMermaid (@CoralMermaid) August 14, 2015

@POTUS great taste in music! Lots of classics in those lists! is good for the soul!

— Mandy Revelle/Bates (@RedBates) August 14, 2015

@POTUS Nice playlist!!! i just discovered Florence and I love that woman!,!

— Raul Arias (@raulariasmtz) August 14, 2015

@POTUS I wish there was a metal or hard rock song in it, would have been awesome imagining you headbang :p

— Sam Guichelaar (@SamGuichelaar) August 14, 2015

Love @POTUS playlist on @spotify Perfect summer tuneage… https://t.co/14wQ1fZS0I Music is a universal language!

— Geoffrey Colon (@djgeoffe) August 14, 2015

@potus the fact that you've got some Okkervil River on that playlist gives me hope for the country. 😀

— Kyle Mitchell (@jaggedlines) August 14, 2015

@POTUS Great list @potus. Happy to see Wherever Is Your Heart by @brandicarlile. What about Thunder Road by @springsteen ?

— petesouza (@petesouza) August 14, 2015

@POTUS Rocking out to your jams – and appreciating the hints of sass in their selection, if I am not misinterpreting ; ) @FLOTUS's nxt?!

— Jessica Saint Jean (@saintleighjess) August 14, 2015

In this week's address, the President spoke about the work the Administration is doing to enhance trust between communities and law enforcement in the year since the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson.

In May, the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing released their final report setting out concrete proposals to build trust and enhance public safety. And across America, local leaders are working to put these ideas into action in their communities.

The President noted that while progress is being made, these issues go beyond policing, which is why the Administration is committed to achieving broader reforms to the criminal justice system and to making new investments in our children and their future.

Transcript | mp4 | mp3

This week, we sat down with senior administration officials take a look back at some of the history-making moments that illuminated the fabric of America. Watch what they had to say:

“Sometimes there's days like this, when that slow, steady effort is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunderbolt.”

President Barack Obama

“The notion that cynicism is the right way to operate has been blown out of the water by the events really of the last several months, particularly this summer.”

Cecilia Muñoz, Director of the Domestic Policy Council

“No longer was it about partisan fighting, now it was just simply about how do we make sure on a daily basis people have access to coverage…”

 Jeanne Lambrew, Deputy Assistant to the President for Health Policy

“The room went up in applause and several of us went down to tell the President and he came down and gave amazing remarks in the Rose Garden and changed the world.”

Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President

“It almost felt like it was over to us after these dramatic domestic and social breakthroughs.”

Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting

“We have to understand that our jails should be places that we make people better, where we go back to the idea of rehabilitation and you can't send that message without actually being there and seeing what is happening there.”

Roy Austin, Deputy Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity