Toward the creation of a center specialized in health epigenetics

Abstract

Epigenetics studies how environmental, nutritional, psychosocial, and lifestyle factors modify gene expression without altering the DNA sequence, influencing the development of chronic non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and neurological disorders. A collaborative group from the University of Medical Sciences of Matanzas (UCMM) has implemented community projects aimed at transferring this knowledge to Primary Health Care (PHC). Among their achievements are: raising awareness in rural and urban communities about the concept of "natural epigenetic health synchronization," participatory workshops on nutrition, physical activity, and stress management, training of community leaders, production of innovative educational materials, and strengthening citizen participation in identifying and solving health problems. However, structural limitations persist: a lack of a sustainable administrative structure, the absence of a formal academic space for systematization and continuing education, dispersion of intersectoral efforts, and the lack of a specialized center that integrates teaching, research, and community outreach. Therefore, the authors propose the creation of a specialized center for epigenetic health with a community focus, ensuring sustainability, inter-institutional coordination, the generation of scientific evidence, and the training of community health promoters. This initiative would directly contribute to achieving the objectives of the Family Doctor and Nurse Program, promoting participatory health actions based on social determinants of health, and thus consolidating a sustainable optimization of Family Medicine in Cuba.