The Abstract Workgroup plays a vital role selecting the research presented at the Annual Conference. Workgroup members review abstracts submitted for presentation at the Annual Conference and have a front row seat to the amazing research that is being done to advance the field of genetic counseling.

Volunteer Responsibilities and Time Commitment

• Abstract workgroup members serve a 3-year term
• Training is provided for abstract review, including both recorded and live online trainings and practice abstracts
• Workgroup members are asked to review approximately 20-30 abstracts with a 2-week time frame in late Spring-Summer 2024. Workgroup members also assist with moderating concurrent paper and/or poster sessions at the 2024 Annual Conference, if attending.
  • The majority of the Abstract Workgroup volunteer time takes place in the Spring and Summer 2024 preceding the annual conference to ensure research is selected and authors are notified in advance of the conference.
  • Time commitment depends on the number of abstracts received, however includes ~3-4 hours of training (including recordings which can be viewed independently, live group training, and practice abstracts) and dedicated independent time to review abstracts over a several week period as above.

Qualifications

• The Abstract Workgroup welcomes applications from NSGC members with experience in research. The best qualified applications will have at least some experience in one or more of the following areas, however we encourage anyone who is interested to apply!
  • Design and implementation of research
  • Mentoring, chairing, or significant participation in student research training
  • Serving as a reviewer for research submitted to peer-reviewed journals

Interested applicants are welcome to contact the current Abstract Workgroup chairs for more information:

• Sarah Bannon (Past Chair): sarah.bannon@gmail.com
• Laura Hendon (Chair): lhendon@umc.edu

The Access and Service Delivery (ASD) Committee is responsible for monitoring and addressing issues related to increasing access to genetic counselors and the delivery of genetic counseling services. The Committee is organized into working groups which are determined based upon the charges for the year. For example, to accomplish the 2023 charges the Committee was organized into the following working groups: Licensure, CPT, Environmental Scan and Business Case. We are seeking enthusiastic and passionate volunteers who seek to help the genetic counseling community with these important issues.

Examples of ASD Projects:

• Writing / publishing the NSGC Business Case white paper
• Development and promotion of the Business Case Toolkit
• Development and promotion ‘of coding and credentialing resources
• Licensure grant application review
• Environmental scan of state laws impacting genetic counselor scope of practice
• Member education on ASD issues and resources, including Advocate and Perspectives articles, webinars, courses, and more.

Volunteer Expectations:

• Three-year term 
• Available for semi-monthly all ASD member committee calls
• Available for monthly, or rarely more frequent, working group calls
• Critical thinking, team-building, leadership and project management skills are appreciated in our volunteers

Have questions? Please connect via the ASD Committee Staff Liaison, Andrew Buckley.

The Advocacy Coordinating Committee (ACC) collaborates with staff in coordinating outreach, communication, and education for the membership focused on building cosponsors for the Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act (H.R. 3876/ S.2323). To learn more about NSGC’s federal effort, visit the Federal Advocacy webpage. 

Committee member responsibilities include: 

• Attend and actively participate in monthly meetings 
  • Review weekly committee email updates   
  • Collaborate with staff on outreach to the membership, constituents, and organizations focused on building cosponsors for the federal bill 
  • Recruit participants for NSGC’s Virtual Hill events 
  • Provide regular updates on outreach activity 
  • Communicate the value of participating as an advocate for the federal bill through member education 

Please note that member responsibilities may evolve depending on the status of the Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act. After the bill is passed, NSGC leadership will determine the committee's future direction.    

Applicants are encouraged to have the following skills and competencies: 

• Passion for passing the Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act 
  • Excellent written and verbal communication 
  • Strategic thinking 
  • Organization 
  • Collaboration 

Prior advocacy experience is not required. Committee workload fluctuates depending on the time of year and whether Congress is in session, but members should expect to spend ~4-6 hours per month on Committee responsibilities. Applicants are welcome to submit questions to Andrew Buckley, ACC’s Staff Liaison. 

Throughout the year, NSGC identifies various opportunities to engage volunteers in short-term projects such as document review, subject matter commentary or resource development.  Additionally, we may have the opportunity to engage members to serve as liaisons to specific projects or organizations, or to engage members in other ways.  Members who are willing to be contacted as opportunities arise in 2024 should submit their application via the Call for Volunteers process (select the Ad Hoc Projects option under interested committees). 

The Annual Conference Program Committee (ACPC) works year-round to plan and develop the educational content for NSGC’s Annual Conference (AC). The committee term is three years, and committee members are involved in a number of tasks including:

• Review of the prior conference attendees’ feedback as guidance for future planning
• Review and scoring of session proposal submissions and determination of the final slate of sessions at the conference
• Communication with accepted session coordinators  to ensure development of sessions that match the ACPC’s conference vision
• Development of  late-breaking sessions and other educational content as needed
• Collaboration with various NSGC committees 
• Feedback on ACPC processes for future improvements

Applicants are encourage to have the following skills and competencies: 

Candidates for the ACPC should have passion and enthusiasm for bringing strong educational content to the NSGC membership while centering inclusivity in the decision making process. They should demonstrate leadership qualities, the ability to provide robust feedback, and volunteer their input without having to be invited to do so. They should have a solid working knowledge of the particular areas of the GC profession in which they specialize, and an awareness of leaders in their field, as they will be an advocate for that content at the AC.  Training and mentoring occurs throughout the term (most predominantly in the first year).

Busy times include Jan-March (proposal reviews, in-person session selection meeting for 2-3 days) and in the Fall leading up to the AC. Time commitment (excluding the in-person meeting) is about 40-50 hours per year. AC registration fees are covered for ACPC members. Applicants are welcome to contact 2023 ACPC Chairs, Lisa Demers and Sophia Ceulemans. 

The Audrey Heimler Special Project Award (AHSPA) provides an annual award of $10,000 to one or more genetic counselors for a project that focuses on the future of the genetic counseling profession and/or the provision of genetic services. Past projects have included resources for genetic counselors to use with patients, research to help advance the profession and innovative continuing education resources for genetic counselors in current practice. The AHSPA Committee reviews project proposals and selects the winner(s) of the award.

General Committee Expectations:

• Three (3) year term with the expectation that one committee member will become chair during their third year with optional co-chair
• Participation in three (3) award cycles and three volunteer applicant reviews (to choose members for the following year)

Specific Committee Expectations: 

• All members to participate in 3 to 5 teleconference calls (~30 to 60 minutes) 
• All members review AHSPA proposals and assign scores and provide comments
• All members review and score volunteer application 

Timeline:

SPRING (March-April): Planning call

• Introduce new members, discuss changes to application or review procedures, assign tasks

SUMMER (June - July):

• Post-deadline preparation for proposal review call
• Review and scoring of proposals
• Teleconference to discuss scoring and award consensus
• Possible second communication for award consensus if needed

FALL:  Critical review and rating of ASHPA membership applications

• Call to discuss new members

The NSGC Awards Committee is responsible for oversight and selection of the NSGC Leadership Awards and of NSGC’s various organizational scholarships, recognizing those who have demonstrated a commitment to the genetic counseling profession and NSGC.

Committee Member Responsibilities:

• Oversee the nomination process, review applications, and select winners for NSGC Leadership Awards, Student Research Scholarship, Sponsored Annual Conference Scholarship, and Full Member Scholarship.
• Conduct outreach and both formal and informal communications to encourage nominations for Leadership Awards from diverse groups within the membership
• Conduct assessment of awards application and selection processes
• Awards committee members are not eligible to be nominated for or receive awards granted by the committee

Volunteer Expectations and Skills:

• One year term
• Availability year round but majority of committee work is done in late-Spring, Summer, and Fall
• Availability for monthly/quarterly committee calls
• Full, New Genetic Counselor, Emeritus or Associate members of NSGC
• Previous experience with evaluating and interviewing applications, supervision, etc. are valuable skills, but are not required
• Prompt communicator with frequent access to emails
• Excellent organization skills
• Critical thinking skills to help redesign application questions, streamline processes, and review the various applications.

NSGC CEU Reviewer Subcommittee is busier than ever and we need you! The CEU Reviewer Subcommittee provides a service which impacts the entire genetic counseling field, by approving continuing education activities for all certified genetic counselors. 

Committee Structure 

• As a subcommittee of the NSGC Education Committee, each CEU review team consists of a blend of new and experienced CEU reviewers.
• Members of this subcommittee work on 2-3 person teams to discuss, review, and approve Category 1 and Category 2 CEU applications. 
• We are aiming to have 30 teams in 2023-2024 to keep up with the demand of CEU applications being submitted. 

Volunteer Responsibilities

• Alternate assignments with your team to evaluate one Category 1 CEU application or a group of Category 2 CEU applications using the criteria outlined in the CEU Standards and Guidelines.
• Teams typically receive 1-2 assignments per month, with a review time of 2-4 weeks per assignment.
• Training materials and staff support are provided!

Qualifications

• Prompt communicator
• Excellent organization skills
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Critical thinking
• Ability to operate "in the grey" and interpret the intent of a rule or guideline.

This is a great option to be involved and volunteer if you do not have large amounts of time available for multiple meetings and discussion. Most reviews can be completed online in small time increments. The CEU committee members are always available to help with questions and concerns.

Chris Wensel: wenselc@ccf.org

Stephanie Kramer: skramer3@kumc.edu

Christine Delaney: cldelane@gmail.com  

New opportunity in 2024. The purpose of the Disciplinary Procedures Committee is to review specific complaints brought in accordance with NSGC’s Disciplinary Procedures, receive complaints that meet the Disciplinary Procedures criteria, determine whether complaints received warrant a full investigation, conduct investigations, and advise the relevant parties of the results. Members of the Disciplinary Procedures Committee must agree to maintain the confidentiality of all committee proceedings, discussions, and perform their work under NSGC’s policies and processes.   Members of the Disciplinary Committee may not (i) have a relationship to any parties involved in a disciplinary proceeding; (ii) have prior knowledge of any complaint considered; and (iii) be currently serving on the Board of Directors.

The Disciplinary Procedures Committee is recruiting five (5) members, one of which will serve as the committee chair, and another will serve as vice chair.  In this inaugural year, two committee members will be asked to serve a three (3) year term and three committee members will serve a standard two (2) year term.  In all future years Disciplinary Procedures Committee members will serve a two (2) year term on the committee.  

 Key knowledge, skills, experience and attributes relevant to this committee are:

• High level of integrity and ethics, including awareness around conflicts of interest
• Ability to be fair, impartial and open-minded
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills
• Strong communication skills
• Commitment to confidentiality and discretion
• Conflict management/comfort with conflict
• Collaborative decision-making
• Attention to detail
• Ability to respect values, attitudes, and beliefs that differ across cultures

The Education Committee is responsible for oversight and development of NSGC educational products and services to ensure NSGC’s education programs grow and support both the core skills and specialized needs of our members.

Please review the descriptions of the Annual Conference Program Committee, Abstract Workgroup, Knowledge Assessment Subcommittee, On-Demand Subcommittee and Webinar Subcommittee, for specific information related to opportunities within the groups that fall under the Education Committee umbrella.

The following is a description of the Vice Chair position of the Education Committee. If you are interested in this position, please ensure that you indicate this in the leadership section of the application.

Volunteer Responsibilities and Time Commitment

• Work with the Education Committee Chair, NSGC Education Manager and NSGC Board Liaison to execute on the Education Committee charges, which can include working on projects independently and/or coordinating efforts across multiple stakeholders.
• Support the groups within the Education Committee by providing their insight and guidance, as needed.
• Attend monthly Education Committee call meetings, NSGC quarterly committee calls, as well as other calls representing the Education Committee leadership as needed.

Vice Chair Qualifications

• Passion for education
• Previous experience in one (or more) of the committees, subcommittees or workgroups within the Education committee. 
• Must have good communication and organizational skills.

Contact Info:

Interested applicants are welcome to contact the current Education chairs for more information, although please note that the Vice-Chair selection is conducted through the NSGC Board’s Vice-Chair selection process.

• Chris Tan: chris.tan@invitae.com
• Kate Shane-Carson: kate.shane@osumc.edu

NSGC’s Ethics Advisory Group (EAG) is calling for applications for 2 new members to serve from January 2024 through December 2026. The EAG’s purpose is to serve as an education resource to the membership and Board on matters involving ethical concerns. Applications from GCs working in any specialty are welcome. Formal experience or training in ethics may be helpful but is not required. Please address the following in your application; why you are interested in joining the EAG, your relevant experience, an example of your work within a team to resolve an ethical conflict related to genetic counseling, and how you believe the NSGC Code of Ethics can facilitate the resolution of ethical conflicts in the field

Help the Public Know About Genetic Counseling

NSGC’s Expert Media Panel seeks members who want to shape public understanding of genetic health care by amplifying their expert insights through the media.

By joining the Expert Media Panel, members build their professional reputation, share their expertise widely and help drive the narrative around genetic counseling.

Who We Are

Members of the panel respond to relevant news media inquiries and provide subject matter expertise for NSGC’s public relations and digital media efforts.

• Experts offer accurate information and valuable perspectives to the public. Members help ensure that journalists receive reliable insights, enhancing the quality of news stories and discussions around genetic health care.
• Members also support public-facing content development on NSGC’s website.

What We’re Looking For

• Willingness to be interviewed by journalists, including on-camera
  • Prior interview experience with news media is a plus
  • Prior media training is not required
• Comfort with your name being public in news articles and segments
• Expertise/experience in the following subjects are preferred: gene therapies, precision medicine, population health research, health equity, emerging issues in genetics/genomics
• Enthusiasm for NSGC and the broader genetic counseling profession

Statement of Interest

Want to join? In your application please address the following: 

• Your name
• Affiliation/institution/employer
• Short bio
• Why you want to join
• Fun fact about yourself

The JEMF Advisory Group has openings for up to two (2) new members to serve a 5-year term to begin in January 2024. The JEMF provides support for research by genetic counselors, promotes individual professional development, and drives innovation in the field of genetic counseling. Annual activities include reviewing full member grant proposals and student awards, and attending a summer meeting.

The JEMF Advisory Group strives to expand our membership to reflect diversity within our genetic counseling community. Appointees must be full NSGC members, board-certified, and have experience serving as co-investigators or lead investigators on research studies, providing research mentorship, and reviewing/submitting grant proposals. 

An Advisory Group member is not eligible to apply for or serve in any role for any JEMF full member award or grant submitted during their tenure or in the year following the ending of their term.

Reviewers evaluate article submissions based on the requirements of JOGC and the quality, completeness and accuracy of the research presented. They provide feedback on manuscripts, suggest improvements and make recommendations to the editor about whether to accept, reject or request changes to the submitted article. The ultimate decision always rests with the editor but reviewers play a significant role in determining the outcome.  As a reviewer, you will be the first to see a paper and see research before it is widely known, gain reviewing skills that can also be applied in other work that you do, and contribute to our journal and sharing of knowledge in our field.

The mission of the NSGC J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee is to facilitate conversation and communication surrounding Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) within and around NSGC and implement specific goals related to J.E.D.I. by:

• Supporting the NSGC Board of Directors in informing and communicating J.E.D.I. initiatives, including giving support to internal groups (such as other committees within NSGC) and collaborating with external communities and partnering organizations.
• Monitoring and assessing progress of the NSGC’s J.E.D.I. Action Plan put forth by the 2022 J.E.D.I. Action Plan Task Force.
• Serving NSGC’s membership by acting as a resource for questions and support related to J.E.D.I. within the profession and NSGC’s organizational culture and structure.
• Developing and reviewing results of pulse surveys and developing any pertinent J.E.D.I. recommendations for NSGC based on members’ feedback.

Qualifications

The J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee invites people who are passionate about or interested in learning more about J.E.D.I. or D.E.I.B. (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) to apply. Members with professional, personal, or volunteer experience in these areas are welcome to contribute to the work and impact of the J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee.

Genetic counselors are increasingly relying on virtual, on-demand CEU options for their continuing education. The Knowledge Assessment Committee (KAC) is an Education Subcommittee responsible for aiding in the preparation of high quality CEU quizzes that accurately and fairly assess knowledge gained from an NSGC-sponsored education activity so that CEUs can be earned. These activities may include webinars, JGC CEU articles, and on-demand offerings from the NSGC AEC. Item (quiz question) writing is often completed independently by members with support from the KAC chairs or experienced committee members. This committee initially began with item writing for the JGC CEU Program and has more recently expanded its responsibilities.

Volunteer Responsibilities and Time Commitment

• Training in proper quiz item writing is provided to all committee volunteers via a short, pre-recorded webinar.
• In the first quarter, committee members will be asked to view approximately 5 hours of recorded content from the AEC and write corresponding quiz items.
• Committee members will each write quiz items for 1-2 Journal of Genetic Counseling articles per year.
• Committee members with more item writing experience may be asked to mentor individuals who are writing quiz items, review quiz items for quality assurance, and/or independently write quiz items for other activities.
• Other than AEC content, work is sporadic (about 1-3 times a year) for mentoring, reviewing, or writing 6-8 quiz items.
  • KAC chair is cognizant of members’ time of year availability.
  • Notice of assignments are often 2-4 weeks in advance.

Qualifications

• Independent worker
• Receptive to feedback
• Strong reading comprehension
• Prior item writing experience is a bonus, but not required.

Contact Info

Interested applicants are welcome to contact the current KAC chairs for more information:

• Chair - Kate Foreman: akmajor@med.unc.edu
• Vice Chair - Hillary Ohlhausen: hmay.porter@gmail.com

The Membership Committee is responsible for recruitment, retention, mentorship, leadership development, and inclusion efforts for the NSGC membership.

We do this by:

• Facilitating mentorship and leadership development via NSGConnect and other platforms
• Designing strategies for recruiting diverse and underrepresented individuals to our profession
• Advocating for member benefits that retain an inclusive, engaged membership cohort
• Recruiting and selecting diverse membership voices for the Nominating Committee
• Overseeing key member benefits such as SIG membership and resource allocation

Past example committee work has included:

• Creating, distributing, and analyzing NSGC Leadership Needs Assessment
• Highlighted local and national community organizations
• Management of the mentorship platform NSGConnect
• Promoting the profession through various recruitment events with a focus on historically excluded students
• Planning and implementing the Annual Conference First Time Attendees event                                 

The Nominating Committee consists of eight members: four current Board members [the Immediate Past President (chair), the President, two (2) Directors-at-Large], and four (4) non-Board members, Members-At-Large, appointed by the Membership Committee. The Nominating Committee is charged with the responsibility to put forth a slate of candidates for open positions on the Board of Directors that will best lead NSGC and that, to the degree possible from the pool of eligible nominees, reflects the high value NSGC places on diversity of all kinds, including diversity in skills, specialty, experience, culture, race, gender identity, sexual orientation and disability status.

The Nominating Committee’s primary responsibilities are as follows:

• Participate in NSGC-provided implicit bias training to prepare for committee work
• Actively participate in committee meetings
• Thoroughly review all application materials and candidate applications
• Interview a subset of candidates using a structured interview guide
• Evaluate candidates utilizing structured scoring rubrics
• Recommend a slate of officers and directors to serve as NSGC Board members beginning on January 1 of the following year

Time commitment is estimated to be 30 – 40 hours over January to May.

Qualifications

Candidates for the Nominating Committee should demonstrate dedication to the growth of NSGC and the genetic counseling profession. It is recommended that candidates display leadership abilities, are active members of NSGC, and have been employed as a genetic counselor for at least two (2) years. Candidates who represent a variety of work settings and/or other aspects of diversity within NSGC are strongly recommended to apply.

NSGConnect is NSGC’s online mentorship program. It aims to connect members with each other on both a professional and social level, providing guidance and support, professional development and networking, and it is open to all NSGC members. Mentors and mentees can match across a variety of interests and specialties.More specifically, a mentor is someone who offers their professional or personal experience to share with others seeking that information. Each mentor/mentee relationship is unique and tailored to the match’s needs. The time commitment for this program is flexible and up to the matched pair. Some matches are a one-time connection while others last for several weeks, months, or longer.

The On-Demand Subcommittee produces online courses that support genetic counselors’ continuing education. These courses are compiled from existing material and released throughout the year. Members of the On-Demand Subcommittee assess the educational needs for genetic counselors, identify topics relevant to genetic counseling, review NSGC’s library of educational materials to ensure content is up-to-date, and create online training bundles. This is an exciting opportunity for individuals who are passionate about education and want to put their creative skills to use! 

Volunteer Responsibilities and Time Commitment

• Subcommittee members are expected to attend subcommittee meetings once a month to collaborate and create bundles of courses.
• Each subcommittee member will be asked to review existing courses set to expire. Each course takes approximately 3-5 hours to review. Subcommittee members should plan to review 2 courses per year. As a benefit to subcommittee members, reviewers may claim CEUs for each course they review.
• We ask that each subcommittee member commit to a minimum of 2 years of service.

Qualifications

The On-Demand Subcommittee is looking for applicants who have an enthusiasm for genetic counseling education and who will bring creative ideas about repackaging NSGC’s existing educational materials. No previous experience in education is required; however, applications from individuals with educational experience (e.g., lecturers, course instructors, etc.) will have an advantage. We encourage anyone interested in this work to apply. The On-Demand Subcommittee is a great opportunity to develop your leadership skills and get involved in NSGC.

Contact Info:

Interested applicants are welcome to contact the current subcommittee chairs for more information.

• Brad Rolf, Co-Chair: barolf@uw.edu
• Caitlin Mauer, Co-Chair: Caitlin.Mauer@UTSouthwestern.edu 
• Jessica Feldman, Vice-Chair: Jessica.GC.Feldman@gmail.com

The Perspectives Executive Editor is responsible for collaborating with the NSGC Managing Editor staff partner to assist in identifying key topics of interest and themes for Perspectives articles. They are responsible for identifying, soliciting, and articles on topics that are pertinent and relevant to NSGC. The Executive Editor and all members of the Perspectives team have a responsibility to ensure that all authors are treated with fairness, courtesy, objectivity, honesty, and transparency. The Executive Editor will also be responsible for working directly with the NSGC Managing Editor to manage the overall content calendar and ensure that articles are being published in a timely manner, as well as engaging the broader Perspectives group of volunteers to solicit and support article publication. The Executive Editor is also responsible for completing a quarterly report for the NSGC Board of Directors to review and remain apprised of progress and needs.

Qualifications

• Must be an NSGC member in good standing
• Must uphold the NSGC mission and vision
• Committed to ensuring a high-quality and evolving member publication
• Must maintain a working e-mail address in the membership database
• Must be detail-oriented, flexible, and able to meet deadlines
• Prior editorial experience/background a plus
• Must have previous editing/writing experience that may include a variety of topics, including lived experience
• Must have good communication and organizational skills

Members of the NSGC Perspectives Committee are responsible for identifying authors, soliciting articles and/or writing articles on a quarterly basis. Members can be “general” and responsible for identifying articles and authors within the genetic counseling space on any topic, or members may have a standing column (formerly known as column leads) that they are responsible for providing content on, such as book reviews, student corner, etc.

Qualifications

•  Must be an NSGC member in good standing
• Must uphold the NSGC mission and vision
• Committed to ensuring a high-quality and evolving member resource
• Must maintain a working e-mail address in the membership database
• Must be detail-oriented and able to meet deadlines
• Prior editorial experience/background a plus
• Must have good communication and organizational skills

Perspectives Committee Member Responsibilities

• Assist in identifying key topics of interest and themes including those that are appropriate to identified interests and needs of the profession
• Identify authors, solicit articles, and write articles as assigned by the NSGC Executive Editor
• Contribute one article per quarter to Perspectives
• Share author guidelines with all authors and provide support and adherence to the publication process
• As assigned, engage Committee Chairs, SIG leaders, and others throughout NSGC to obtain articles
• Review article  and ensure author affiliations, degrees, bios are sent with article
• Attend quarterly committee calls to brainstorm new topics and ideas

PGC members serve three-year terms, actively facilitate the development of NSGC’s evidence-based practice guidelines (PGs) and practice resources (PRs), and manage collaborative guideline development with other professional societies. Of note, while being a PGC member does not preclude you from authoring PGs or PRs, PGC members are primarily responsible for facilitating these documents, not writing them.

The PGC sets policy for guideline development to meet current standards, reviews potential PG and PR topics, constructs all author groups, and makes recommendations to the NSGC Board regarding PG and PR policies and publications. PGC members attend monthly conference calls and serve as liaisons to PG and PR author groups.

As liaisons, PGC members review author conflicts of interest (COI), help set and maintain project timelines, review document outlines and drafts, attend monthly author-group calls, and communicate project needs and progress to PGC leadership. PGC members may also be involved with PGC Subcommittees (e.g. COI Subcommittee and Endorsement Subcommittee). Active participation is an expectation of the Committee.

Qualifications 

Experience in project management, clinical research, systematic evidence review, grading evidence and recommendations, outcomes research, and professional guideline development are particularly valuable skills for prospective committee members, but not required. Given the nature of the PGC’s work, diversity in background, experience, and specialty are valued and welcomed. For more information about the PGC, visit the PGC webpage.

Interested applicants should submit their CVs and a one-page statement of interest (only Word or pdf accepted) as part of the Call for Volunteers application form. Applicants are welcome to contact PGC Staff Liaison, Andrew Buckley with any questions.

The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) administers a Professional Status Survey (PSS) annually to all genetic counselors. If you are seeking to make an impact on the profession, please consider joining the Professional Status Survey Committee. Since the survey was first administered in 1980, results from the NSGC PSS have served many purposes, including establishing benchmarks for salaries and benefits for genetic counselors, identifying workforce issues, and gauging job and professional satisfaction in the genetic counseling community. Data from the PSS originate from genetic counselors working in a variety of settings, including hospitals, academic centers, diagnostic laboratories, the private sector, public health, and others. The published reports from the PSS provide a detailed profile of the current genetic counseling workforce, primarily in the U.S. and Canada, and identify new and emerging trends in this growing profession. The analyses also provide information useful to individual genetic counselors and those who interact with them, including current and prospective employers, medical associations, policy makers, prospective genetic counselors, as well as individuals obtaining genetic counseling services. The information collected by the PSS also helps inform NSGC strategic priorities in J.E.D.I. (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) by tracking and monitoring changes over time related to the genetic counseling profession.

PSS Committee members are involved in various tasks pertaining to the development of the PSS throughout the cycle, including reviewing,  developing and testing the survey, and editing the PSS reports prior to publication. Committee members do not perform statistical analyses. Volunteers will be expected to execute tasks in alignment with the PSS schedule. Typical busy times include March-April and July-October. In addition to monthly committee calls, the typical time commitment for a committee member is roughly 20-30 hours per year. The committee term is 2 years.

The Position Statement Committee is seeking individuals with strong writing and critical thinking skills, with an interest in current policies related to the practice of genetic counseling, to join our talented and hardworking team.  Members serve three year terms and help develop and revise NSGC position statements, in accordance with NSGC policies. Members may also assist in creating public comments, as led by NSGC’s strategic plan, for specific issues related to proposed policy, federal rules, and regulations, and in educating NSGC membership about policy-related issues in genetic counseling. Committee members are expected to join monthly hour-long virtual meetings and actively participate in at least two internal Committee working groups per year. Committee members are expected to lead at least one internal Committee working group by the end of their term.

Applicants are welcome to submit questions to Andrew Buckley, the Position Statement Committee Staff Liaison.

The NSGC Research, Quality, and Outcomes (RQO) Committee is seeking new members to join our talented group. Committee work typically includes supporting NSGC’s Research Initiative, identifying and promoting tools to measure and educate on quality and outcomes in genetic counseling, and maintaining NSGC’s Genetic Counselor Literature Repository and other educational content.

The RQO Committee holds a one-hour monthly standing call and monthly subgroup calls. Members are generally expected to participate in 2-3 subgroups. As a part of supporting NSGC’s Research Initiative and other grants, RQO Committee members may be involved in reviewing research proposals and awarding funding. Experience in research, study design, measure development, and patient-reported outcomes are valuable skills, but not necessary for Committee membership. The RQO Committee ultimately seeks candidates who are eager to learn about, and improve, NSGC’s ability to measure genetic counseling outcomes, demonstrate the value of genetic counseling services, and advance genetic counseling research. Learn more about the RQO Committee. RQO Committee membership is a 3-year term.

 Applicants are welcome to submit questions to Andrew Buckley, the RQO Committee Staff Liaison.

• Committee is responsible for assisting with educational live webinars hosted by NSGC. Each member will be assigned a webinar and become the liaison to assist with logistics of the webinar, content review, and moderation of live webinars.
• The member webinar series is a free member benefit, with timely year-round education on issues impacting our profession. From telemedicine to genetic engineering, the webinar subcommittee aims to curate and create content that keeps our membership apprised of how the latest trends in healthcare may affect them. The subcommittee also partners with SIG leadership and organizations across NSGC to bring attention to content that spans many fields relevant to genetic counselors. 

Volunteer Responsibilities and Time Commitment

• Act as a liaison from the committee to NSGC webinars (speakers, SIGs)
• Work closely with NSGC liaison to the Webinar Subcommittee on webinars
• Assist with moderation of live webinar through introduction and question moderation
• Review content of webinar slides and Q&A provided to committee prior to live webinar
• Participate in a planning/logistics meeting prior to live webinar to assist speaker with questions/concerns
• Help to coordinate and create content for webinars
• Training will be done over Monthly Webinar Subcommittee meetings. Each new member will be paired with an established subcommittee member for the first webinars they participate in. The Chair and Vice-Chair are available to address any questions or concerns.
• Monthly meeting with all members that last the full year. Meetings are typically 30 min -1 hour.
• On average, each webinar should take around 2 hours of time (including the 1 hour live webinar).
• There are around 20 webinars in total; member time and participation can vary based on availability and number of liaisons.
• This is a combination of independent work with the individual’s webinars and group work interacting with the entire Webinar Subcommittee.

Qualifications

• Interest and enthusiasm in helping disseminate new and relevant educational content through webinars
• Desire to learn and participate in webinar process from start to finish

Contact Info:

• Tanya Eble, teble@bcm.edu
• Alice Zalan, alicezalan@gmail.com