Anne Wojcicki Quotations

One of the best aspects of health care reform is it starts to emphasize prevention.

It's not just professional athletes and soldiers who are at risk from traumatic brain injury. More than 1.7 million people a year sustain a traumatic brain injury, and about 50,000 of them die each year, according the Centers for Disease Control. There are both emotional and financial costs from these injuries.

April 25th is DNA Day. I know, you probably had no idea.

Obesity is awesome from a Wall Street perspective. It's not just one disease - there are all sorts of related diseases to profit from.

A solid foundation in genetics is increasingly important for everyone.

Some genetic variants can be informative about one's risk for Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

We all want our genetic information. Why would you not want genetic information?

Just as computer technology and the Internet created whole new industries and extraordinary benefits for people that extend into almost every realm of human endeavor from education to transportation to medicine, genetics will undoubtedly benefit people everywhere in ways we can't even imagine but know will surely occur.

Big challenges are an accumulation of small challenges.

I still meet old-school scientists who are like, 'Oh honey, women aren't good at science.' You kind of dismiss them as insane.

My sister learned she was a carrier for a recessive disease, Bloom syndrome, late in one of her pregnancies. I remember the panicked call and the weeks of worry as she and her husband awaited his test results; if he was also a carrier, this meant their daughter had a one in four chance of being born with the disorder.

I think there's a point to regulating, because there are snake oil companies.

It is important to democratize personal genetics and make it more accessible.

A few small changes in your DNA can turn your eyes blue, make you lactose intolerant or put some curl in your hair.

I'm at a slightly higher risk for type 2 diabetes, and my grandmother had diabetes. My hemoglobin a1c, which is one of the measures, started being a little high when I was drinking a ton of that coconut water.

Our understanding of how DNA informs our health and development is advancing at an incredible pace.

We should revel in tons and tons and tons of ideas. Some of them will manifest and lead to a drug discovery, and some will not.

FDA clearance is an important step on the path towards getting genetic information integrated with routine medical care.

There's enough data showing that the fitter you are, the better you eat, the more likely you are to stay healthy longer.

All the kids from my nursery school are still in touch.

Billions of dollars have been put into genetic research.

I carry my iPad and laptop with me everywhere.

Making personalized medicine a reality will require a strong partnership between 23andMe and the physician and medical communities.

There's a whole group of people who are 100-plus and have no disease. Why?

There's massive government initiatives going around the world, and you see that there's a real enthusiasm for genetics.

Women who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer can learn a tremendous amount from women who have already been treated.

Why should I need a prescription to spit into a vial and get my DNA read? Why can't I get my own blood drawn without a doctor's permission? It's my blood.

I think it's important to have flexibility to work wherever is best for you. I actually encourage people to work at the cafe - or from home or wherever works best for them.

Nobody can quantify for you what's the impact of eating fiber every day, for instance. We can say we think it's good. But some people might say 'Oh, it reduces your risk of colon cancer by 20%, some people might say it reduces your risk by 25%.'

It's worth knowing more about the complicated environmental and genetic factors that could explain why traumatic brain injuries lead to long-term disabilities in some people and not in others.

I do believe at some point in time everyone will be genotyped at birth.

I first heard about 'genes' when I was six years old. At dinner one night, I heard my mom tell my sister, 'It's in your genes.'

I had a very unusual childhood in that I grew up on the Stanford campus and I never moved.

I have always been interested in health care and doing something that is dramatic.

Being able to do research in a real-time way is the way research needs to be done in the future.

I don't necessarily want my physician making all my decisions.

I like company lunches because I think going out wastes valuable time; plus, a lot of good ideas come up over lunch.

I think the biggest problem in clinical trials is that they are underpowered. And that fundamentally, the studies are just too small.

I usually start my day when my kids wake up.

If consumers were more empowered, they would take more responsibility for their health.

Knowing your genetic health risks will help you make better decisions.

My parents were passionate about what they did, very cheap, and very focused on doing good in society.

The consumer is really underutilized in health care.

There's nothing worse than walking into a hospital and seeing people sick and miserable and having a horrible treatment.

We don't have enough data about how lifestyle decisions impact our health.

We have been trained not to think about our health care until there's a problem.

As a parent, the most responsible thing I can do is get as much information about my children as possible so I can then think through how I can make them as healthy as possible.

Everyone's going to die, and everyone's going to get sick at some point. But I do believe that there are choices you can make in life that will make you as healthy as possible.

Our approach to medicine is very 19th-century. We are still in the dark ages. We really need to get to the molecular level so that we are no longer groping about in the dark.

TIVO was a big shift in how people watched TV, but everyone understood the concept of TV. No one really understands the concept of, well why would I want my genetic information?

As the knowledge around personalized medicine continues to grow, consumers should expect their healthcare providers to begin to incorporate genetic information into their treatments and preventative care.

I think it is absolutely crazy in this day and age that I have to go through a trial and error method to see if my child is allergic to an antibiotic or peanuts. I should just know.

Im at a slightly higher risk for type 2 diabetes, and my grandmother had diabetes. My hemoglobin a1c, which is one of the measures, started being a little high when I was drinking a ton of that coconut water.

Some genetic variants can be informative about ones risk for Parkinsons disease and Alzheimers disease.

I guess I'm just fiercely independent.

It's just the reality. Everyone's going to die and everyone's going to get sick at some point. But I do believe that there are choices you can make in life that will make you as healthy as possible.

There should be choice in healthcare.

I need to solve the problem. It's no different from how am I going to get my son out the door when he needs to go to school. It's a bigger version of that same type of problem.