What is the Healthy Oregon Project?

The Healthy Oregon Project, or HOP, is a no cost research study that combines genetic cancer screening, using a saliva sample, with surveys about a person’s environment, behaviors, and lifestyle to understand their health risks. One of the goals of our study is to understand how to make inherited cancer risk screening accessible for more people to help advance cancer early detection.

Understand your personal cancer risk.

HOP will analyze DNA from your saliva sample at no charge and let you know if your DNA indicates a risk for certain cancers. 1 out of every 100 Oregonians has a genetic cancer risk that changes the way their doctor should handle their care. HOP is committed to identifying those individuals and letting them know what they can do to reduce their risk.

HOP welcomes all cancer survivors to participate to help researchers understand the links between genetics and cancer risks.

Get results.

HOP is intended as a screening test for the general population and does not detect all differences that would affect your health. HOP genetic screening is designed to detect about 90% of what comprehensive genetic testing would identify. Individuals with a personal or family history suggestive of an inherited cancer syndrome or high cholesterol and heart disease should consider additional genetic testing from their provider.

If we find you are at risk, an OHSU genetic counselor will contact you (at no charge) to discuss the results and identify the steps that can reduce your cancer risk. If no genetic risk is found, you will be notified through your secure account on the Healthy Oregon Project app.

Advancing cancer research.

With data from all different types of people, including cancer survivors, scientists can increase their understanding of cancer and other chronic diseases to help develop effective treatments and improve early detection. By combining survey and saliva results, scientists can better understand how genetics and lifestyle contribute to cancer risk.

How to join.

Download the Healthy Oregon Project app in your mobile app store: Apple or Google Play and follow the prompts to consent and create a secure account and access surveys. Instructions for enrolling in genetic risk screening through the app with a saliva sample collection kit mailed to your Oregon address are on our HOP Kits page. We hope you’ll stay involved for years to come as new surveys and screenings for other chronic disease risks become available.