Media Watch

December/January, 2006 – Fit Pregnancy, "Early Warning"
A discussion of the "new" first trimester screening reviewed the differences between AFP and first trimester screening, including various screen-positive rates. The article stated that first trimester screening is performed at 11-12 weeks gestation. CVS and amniocentesis were accurately explained as diagnostic testing options.

Winter, 2006 – SistaGirls.org
Genetic counseling was added to the career section of this Web site for teen girls after the site featured NSGC Diversity Subcommittee member Kisha Johnson and the 2005 Genetic Counseling Student Diversity Scholarship award winners, Elaine Chen (UCI) and Stephanie Herbert (Brandeis). SistaGirls.org gives teen girls from all over the world the opportunity to express themselves, read about their peers, learn about careers and health topics and see themselves represented on the Web.

March 6, 2006 – Reno Gazette Journal, "Your Turn" Section
This op-ed column published an article written by Robbin Palmer entitled, "Laws against genetic discrimination are essential." On April 22, KRNV-TV news also aired an interview with Robbin about her experience as a volunteer with the Find Family National Call Center in Baton Rouge, LA.

March 12, 2006 – The New York Times, "A Wrongful Birth"
Controversy surrounding wrongful birth lawsuits was highlighted via the context of a family who has a child with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. The author shared her knowledge of genetic counseling from her personal experience of terminating a pregnancy with congenital CMV. Genetic counselors were described as "20-something," "biased toward termination" and providers of "mini-science lectures."

March 22, 2006 – The New York Times, "Flaw Seen in Genetic Test for Breast Cancer Risk" and Wall Street Journal, "Test for Breast Cancer Risk Could Miss Mark"
Two news articles (that sparked a brief rash of emails on the NSGC listserv) reported the findings of a study by King, et al as published in JAMA. The articles reported that "as many as 12% of women with strong family history get inaccurate reading" from the BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing commercially performed by Myriad Genetics and that "without appropriate education, people may take a negative test to mean they don't have to worry." One of the articles mentioned genetic counseling as a "long-term relationship" with the client but did not clearly indicate that genetic counselors do discuss the limitations of available genetic testing with patients.

April 12, 2006 – The New York Times, "Seeking Ancestry in DNA Ties Uncovered by Tests"
A health story reviewed the increasing popularity of DNA ancestry tests and how individuals are using the results for college admission, financial aid and government entitlement.

April 13, 2006 – The New York Times, "A Crystal Ball Submerged in a Test Tube"
A commentary discussed whether new, expensive diagnostic tests use genetic information to determine the best course of treatment for a patient. The author explored several controversial issues of this testing, such as having only one lab performing a particular test, the need for FDA approval and poor reimbursement by insurance companies.

April 19, 2006 – Reuters, "Effort to Photograph Dying Children Helps Families"
In a program called, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, professional photographers offer parents of dying children a series of portraits without charge. The newswire article featured the family of a baby with type 2 Gaucher disease. The disease was described as an enzyme deficiency in which the body can't break down a type of fat and stores it on organs, tissues and the brain stem.

May 12, 2006 - Fox-TV, "Evening News"
This New York-area newscast aired a segment on breast cancer services offered by the Weill Cornell Breast Center. The story included a shot of Shivani Nazareth and mentioned genetic counseling as part of the multi-disciplinary approach to breast cancer treatment.

Star/Rosen Media Highlights

NSGC Media Highlights June-August 2006

From commenting on prenatal testing or direct to consumer testing, NSGC members have continued to shine in the media spotlight. Star/Rosen, NSGC’s agency of record, has worked with many of the counselors to promote the society and its goals. Below are the highlights of some recent media placements that have included NSGC members:

• Nancy Callanan, Kelly Ormond, Scott Weissman and Jill Fonda were interviewed by a reporter at the Washington Post for a piece on direct to consumer genetic testing. The article ran on June 13 and aside from including NSGC expert quotes, the article featured a sidebar piece and listed the NSGC website, phone number and email address as resources for readers. The piece was also picked up by American Healthline.

• Holly Peay and Jehannine Austin were included in an article that ran in the June 16 issue of the Baltimore Sun that discusses the genetic link to mental illness. The piece was also picked up by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Orlando Sentinel, The Repository ( Ohio) and Daily Press (Virginia).

• Kelly Ormond was interviewed by nationally syndicated columnist Judy Foreman about direct to consumer testing. The article ran in the Boston Globe on August 7 and was also picked up by the Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun.

• Scott Weissman was interviewed for a story in Shapemagazine about BRCA testing and trends in genetic testing. The piece is slated for the October issue.

• Kristen Shannon was interviewed by the Boston Herald and Boston Globe about the issue of genetic licensure and the proposed bill in Massachusetts.

• Robin Bennett was interviewed by a freelancer writer for a piece on family history. The reporter is pitching the story to Ladies’ Home Journal for the Fall.

• ABC’s Primetimere-aired the Kissing Cousins piece on September 5. The piece originally aired on 20/20 in 2004 and includes an interview with Robin Bennett.

• Nancy Callanan was interviewed by a reporter with Hamodia, the largest English-language Orthodox Jewish newspaper, about genetic counseling and testing. The piece is slated to run in the Fall.

If you have any additional media opportunities or story ideas, please contact your SIG chairperson and they will relay the information to Star/Rosen.

NSGC in the Media: January-May 2006

From commenting on prenatal testing or direct to consumer testing, NSGC members have shined in the media spotlight. Star/Rosen, NSGC’s PR agency, has worked with many genetic counselors to promote the Society and its goals. Below are highlights of recent media placements that included NSGC members.

• Sarah Noblin, Jennifer Hoskovec and Nancy Callanan drafted a letter to the editor at The New York Times in response to an article that discussed wrongful birth lawsuits and genetic testing.
• Scott Weissman was interviewed by a reporter at HealthDay.com and commented on a study that was published in Cancer. The article ran on February 15 and was picked up by Forbes.com. The article included a link to the NSGC Web site for further information.
• Kelly Ormond was interviewed by the Associated Press about direct to consumer testing. The piece was picked up by over 20 media outlets including Forbes, Washington Post, Boston Globe, ABC News.com, Contra Costa Times, The Biloxi Sun Herald, Commercial Appeal.com, Redding Business News and Deseret Morning News, with a circulation to date of 3,775,076.
• Jill Allen was interviewed for a story on prenatal testing for ePregnancy magazine which ran in the April issue.
• Nancy Kramer was quoted in an article in B.A.B.Y. (a publication of LA Parent magazine) about prenatal testing. The article listed the NSGC Web site as a resource for expecting parents who have questions about genetic testing and counseling.
• Nancy Callanan was interviewed for a Consumer Reports health newsletter that looked at the profession of genetic counseling. The article ran in the May issue and included the NSGC Web site as a resource for readers.

If you have any additional media opportunities or story ideas, please contact your SIG chairperson, and they will relay the information to Star/Rosen.