JEMF Full Member Award
JEMF Student Member Award
Advisory Group
The Jane Engelberg Memorial Fellowship (JEMF), established in 1991 as an award of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, Inc. (NSGC), is an ongoing tribute to Jane Engelberg, who graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1973 with a master's degree in human genetics. During her 15-year career as a genetic counselor in New York City-first at the National Genetics Foundation, and then at Beth Israel Medical Center and Long Island Jewish Medical Center-Jane developed expertise in counseling patients on issues related to hemophilia and prenatal diagnosis. In response to the special needs of Spanish-speaking clients, Jane became a bilingual genetic counselor. The human qualities of insight, compassion, and dedication that always will be associated with Jane and her contributions to the field resulted in part from the fact that Jane was under treatment for advanced Hodgkin's disease from 1969 until her death in 1988. Her physicians originally gave her little hope of living even long enough to obtain her master's degree. The JEMF is funded by the Engelberg Foundation, established in 1990 by Jane's husband, Alfred B. Engelberg. The Engelberg Foundation is a charitable trust that supports a wide range of activities in the fields of health care, science, and education.
Objectives
The objectives of the JEMF are to promote the professional development of individual counselors and to improve the practice of genetic counseling by providing support for scholarly investigation of any aspect of the profession. Such investigation is essential as the profession responds to changes in genetics, health care, and the ethical, legal, and social dimensions of genetic medicine. It is critical, therefore, that any proposed project hold the prospect of significant impact beyond the personal interests or work setting of the applicant.
New in 2013: We are particularly encouraging projects focuson on outcomes in genetic counseling. Evidence-based medicine requires all clinical interventions to provide sound data supporting the beneficial therapeutic effects on individuals and families. Generating meaningful data about the outcomes of genetic counseling requires rigorous research with appropriate and relevant outcome measures. Since few studies have examined the effects of genetic counseling, we encourage scholarly work that will provide this type of evidence.
Amount of the Award
The The JEMF will provide a $60,000 award for a one-year or two-year project to an individual genetic counselor (or more than one genetic counselor who will share the award). Funding will apply to the period commencing January 1 following the announcement of the award at the NSGC Annual Education Conference. Funding will be released to the awardee quarterly. The JEMF is under no obligation to make awards in any given year if the advisory group deems that no proposed projects meet the guidelines for funding.
Eligibility
The principal investigator of a JEMF proposal must be a genetic counselor who is a full member in good standing of the NSGC and is certified in genetic counseling by the American Board of Medical Genetics or the American Board of Genetic Counseling. Individuals who have been granted active-candidate status by the American Board of Genetic Counseling also are eligible to apply for the JEMF. Individuals who do not have active candidate status should contact the American Board of Genetic Counseling for instructions regarding the expedited review process. These requirements do not apply to co-investigators. PIs and Co-PIs of awarded JEMF proposals are not eligible to apply again in future cycles.
Requirements of Proposals Eligible for Funding
A basic requirement of the JEMF is that the recipient produce results of sufficiently broad interest and high caliber to warrant professional publication or presentation. Recipients may wish to explore new interests, enhance present skills, answer a specific research question, or develop expertise in areas related to genetic counseling. All work completed through the JEMF must have application beyond the practice of the applicant such that it broadens the base of knowledge in the professional community concerned with genetic counseling. For example, a project may affect the diverse practices of novice or seasoned counselors, contribute to the existing resources for genetic counseling students, or develop new professional opportunities by helping the recipient acquire expertise in areas related to genetic counseling. Applicants may use the funds for projects that will be accomplished through various combinations of study, research, or writing. All funded work must be accomplished in a scholarly manner. Proposals must include objectives that satisfy the criteria of the JEMF. The methodology must be scientifically sound and evaluation procedures must demonstrate how the applicant will measure the success of the objectives. Projects such as the development of a book or patient-education materials-outside of a research protocol-are not fundable by the JEMF.
Terms of the Fellowship
The recipient may use fellowship funds to reduce the time commitment of a full-time position or to fund a leave of absence or sabbatical from a full-time job. The fellowship cannot, however, support activities that already are a remunerated part of a recipient's job (for example, duplication of salaried hours, attending weekly seminars and conferences, or teaching genetic counseling students). The recipient is expected to be present to receive the award at the next NSGC Annual Education Conference and to present an overview of the completed project at the Annual Education Conference of the following year. The JEMF cannot provide travel support for those meetings.
The recipient must:
- Provide annual financial accounting to the NSGC and agree to certain terms and conditions of payment and accounting as determined by the NSGC.
- Provide quarterly reports of progress to the JEMF advisory group; and
- Have completed and submitted the final product and/or evaluation of the project no later than one (1) year from the completion of the funded fellowship year.
- In addition, presentations and publications based on work supported by the JEMF must include the following credit:
"This work has been supported by the Jane Engelberg Memorial Fellowship, an annual grant from the Engelberg Foundation to the National Society of Genetic Counselors, Inc."