Nancy Callanan: Feeling at Home

A rocking chair front porch and hand sewn curtains is not what you would expect to find at the headquarters for a genetic counseling program. Up the stairs in a converted bedroom is the office of the program’s director, Nancy Callanan. Within five minutes of meeting her, you would understand that the quaint atmosphere is one more way that Nancy makes her students feel at home.

“I strive to create a nurturing atmosphere of cooperative learning, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the profession and the importance of teamwork,” says Nancy.

With over 25 years of genetic counseling experience, Nancy has collected a variety of stories to share about lessons learned from patients and colleagues. After graduation in 1977 from the Sarah Lawrence College genetic counseling program, she spent most of her time providing prenatal and pediatric genetic counseling at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). She also participated in two important research projects while at UNC: exploring counseling issues surrounding cystic fibrosis and hemophilia A carrier testing.

Nancy has always shown her dedication and enthusiasm for the profession by getting involved within a number of professional societies, paying special attention to the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC). She has contributed to the Professional Issues and Nominating committees, as well as the ad hoc Committee for Ethical Codes and Principles. Nancy was also elected twice to serve on the Board of Directors, first as the Region III Representative and then as Secretary.

“For me, being involved in the NSGC has been one of the most gratifying things professionally,” says Nancy. “I think that we still have a tremendous opportunity to shape this profession, which is still relatively new. By becoming active, you really can have opportunities to play a really big role.”

Colleagues recognized her efforts supporting and promoting NSGC by awarding her the Region III Leadership Award in 1999, which she feels is one of her proudest moments.

The importance of board certification for genetic counselors is also an important crusade for Nancy. She has been avidly involved in the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) by serving on the Nominating Committee, as Chair of the ad hoc Committee for Recertification and on the Board of Directors. She was also elected as the 2003 President and serves as the ABGC liaison to the National Coalition of Health Professional Education in Genetics (NCHPEG).

In addition to her national contributions, Nancy is also very involved in improving the field of genetics within her own state of North Carolina. She is active within the North Carolina Medical Genetics Association (NCMGA), emphasizing the importance of licensure for NC genetic counselors. Recently, Nancy was appointed to serve on the North Carolina Task Force on Genomics and Public Health as Chair of the Education Work Group. The Task Force is a collaborative group dedicated to creating a state plan that will lay the infrastructure for NC to deal with current and upcoming issues in genomics.

It seems that Nancy would hardly have time for anything else but work, but she remains dedicated to her most important commitments: her husband and two children. Through the years, Nancy admits to often having worked odd hours to be available when her family needed her, and was thankful to work with colleagues who provided a lot of flexibility and support.

“Although I always worked full-time,” says Callanan, “I tried to keep my family high on my priority list. This meant making some sacrifices along the way, but they were all worth it.”

In recent years, Nancy has been happy to add her students at the nation’s newest genetic counseling program at University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) to her list of priorities. Nancy helped establish the program in 2000 and serves as its director.

“I share my devotion to the profession and encourage [students] to become actively involved in the NSGC. I share lots of stories from my own clinical experience – and the lessons I learned from patients and colleagues along the way. I try to model the importance of keeping your sense of humor and having balance in your life.”

The benefit of that experience is already having an impact on the next generation of genetic counselors rising through the new program.

“Nancy is truly an amazing and inspiring woman,” says Randi Culp, a graduate of the first class of UNCG’s genetic counseling program. “She always seems to know exactly when and how to listen, encourage, challenge and guide you in order to bring out the best in you as a person as well as a counselor.”

Other links describing Ms. Callanan’s work:
Website of the UNC-Greensboro Genetic Counseling Program
Press release: New UNC-G Genetic Counseling Program
Pubmed list of publications