 Hello, my name is Dr. Eric Green and I am the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, which is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. My Institute conducts and funds research studying the role that your genome, that's the DNA in all of your cells, plays in health and disease. Now you may know that common diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease often run in families. And so do rare diseases like hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell anemia. One of the main reasons why diseases run in families relates to differences in the DNA that each person inherits from their parents. That's why understanding the health history of your parents and grandparents and other relatives is so important. Now the holidays provide a great opportunity to start learning about your family health history. So this Thanksgiving, why not start the conversation? I encourage you to sit down with your loved ones and talk about any health problems that seem to be common in your family. Just make sure to write everything down. But to help with this you can record and track all this information using the Surgeon Generals Free My Family Health Portrait Tool, which you can get to at familyhistory.hhs.gov. That's familyhistory.hhs.gov. And don't forget to share what you've learned with your health care provider. They may be able to help you use the information to predict your risk for certain diseases and in some cases help you make decisions about appropriate screening and preventative steps. Family health history is a powerful tool that you can use today to ensure a longer, healthier future for you and your loved ones. Thanks for watching and have a happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the National Human Genome Research Institute.