Dr. Karriem Watson first became interested in medical research as a young boy when he lost his mother to cancer. Determined to help bring about a future with equitable and individualized treatment for all, he joined the All of Us Research Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
At All of Us, Dr. Watson works with researchers, health care providers, community partners and program participants to build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers can use this database to help create personalized medicine that takes into account an individual’s environment, biology, and lifestyle along with their family medical history and genetic makeup.
Dr. Watson was KID Museum’s 2022 Fête for the Future Community Health Maker Honoree.
Dr. Watson pursued a solution to a problem he is personally passionate about. Understanding all of the pieces of a puzzle can help us create a better solution. All of Us uses genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors to help create better healthcare solutions that take into account the whole person.
Explore some of the interactive modules on the All of Us site to learn more about how these different factors affect our health.
Think about your environment and lifestyle. Where do you live? Is it a city? In the country? Surrounded by nature? Then think about the sorts of things you do. Do you spend a lot of time reading? Or maybe you play sports? How about how often you’re in front of a screen?
What makes you unique? How does your environment and lifestyle affect who you are and how you live in the world?
Using your imagination and creativity, tell the story of you and how your environment, lifestyle and background help shape who you are.
Maybe you want to tell your story using Scratch coding. (For makers in PreK-2st grade, we recommend using ScratchJr, instead of Scratch. Learn how to access ScratchJr and find some tutorials to get you started here.)
Maybe you’d rather take photographs and make a collage, or use clay to make a sculpture. You could also make your own paper and bind it into a book!
Textile crafts like custom-made plushies or banners are also great options.
Explore more skills and find the one that speaks to YOU!