BUTLER TWP — A nationwide genomic research effort that focuses on veterans is coming to VA Butler Healthcare next week.

The Million Veteran Program is the VA’s voluntary initiative to advance DNA research, with the goal of studying how genes affect people’s health.

During the past five years nearly 10,000 veterans from Western Pennsylvania have signed on to the program, which collects participants’ blood and extracts their DNA.

The data is used to study a range of medical issues like mental illness and heart and kidney disease. The program also tracks veterans’ military experience, health and lifestyles, and collects data on health conditions common in veterans, such as high blood pressure, tinnitus and cancer diagnoses.

The program was launched in 2011 as part of the White House Precision Medicine Initiative, an effort to change the way medical data is tracked and make health care more personalized.

In August of last year VA officials announced that the program had become the largest genomic database in the world. It now enrolls more than 550,000 veterans.

The Butler County event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, at VA Butler Healthcare’s main campus at 325 New Castle Road.

Veterans interested in more information about the program can call 1-866-441-6075 or visit www.research.va.gov/mvp.