P464: The lived body in genomic medicine: Mixed-methods pilot study of existential themes in families of patients with genetic conditions

Genomic medicine provides an increasingly detailed understanding of the human body at the molecular level, but, in isolation, does not capture the lived realities of patients and families navigating genetic diagnoses. This divide is especially pronounced in rural, underserved regions with limited access to genomic care. Existential phenomenology, particularly the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, offers a conceptual framework for understanding the patient’s experience as a “lived body” (le corps vécu), which can be understood as a body felt, known, and expressed in the world as opposed to the body as a biological object interpreted by medical professionals.