Over the past decade, dramatic advances in genomics have paved the way for a fuller understanding of the impact of genetic and environmental factors on human and population health. Such capabilities must however, be put into scientific, ethical, cultural, legal and policy context in order to realize the goal of improving population health. Through its research and training programs the Institute for Public Health Genetics (IPHG) provides the context for these discoveries and also equips graduates to tackle the complex ethical, legal, policy and social issues that are required to fully realize the benefits of these advances on population health. Our faculty and graduates are working locally, nationally and globally to ensure that health benefits from genomic knowledge are maximized and harms are minimized.