Perspectives

CALL TO ACTION: Speak Up for Our Patients and Support the Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act!t

Antonina Wojcik, MS, CGC (She/Her); Katie Lang, MS, CGC (She/Her)

Last month, NSGC announced that H.R. 3876, the “Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act” was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Adrian Smith and Brian Higgins! This important legislation will give Medicare beneficiaries improved access to genetic counselors by recognizing us as service providers and enabling reimbursement. So, what exactly does this mean and why might it ring a bell? Let’s review! Read more. 

For the Unicorns: Facilitating Manifold GC Career Paths during GC Training

Caroline Aragón, MS, CGC

During my graduate training, I attended a meeting with a bioinformatician who exclaimed, “Ah! You’re the PhD student who’s also in the genetic counseling program.” I affirmed that I was indeed the dual degree student. She shared, “I’m glad to work with you. You’re a unicorn.” Read more. 

Equipping Genetic Counselors to Talk About Genomic Equity

Kate Wilson, MS, CGC (she/her/hers) ; Rebekah Moore, MS, CGC ; Joanna Mercado, MS, CGC (she/her/ella) ; Hetal Vig, MS, CGC ; Michelle Moore, MS, CGC (she/her)

Healthcare disparities related to diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice continue to increase with the advancement of precision medicine and the incorporation of genetics into mainstream healthcare. By promoting genomic equity, clinics, hospitals, laboratories, and companies improve patient and client satisfaction, increase access and utilization of genomic testing and services, and create metrics that streamline operations which can be used to ensure equity and inclusion. Read more. 

Journal of Genetic Counseling

Effect of Accessibility of a Genetic Counselor on Uptake of Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A) and Carrier Screening for Patients Undergoing in Vitro Fertilization

Prapti Singh, Caitlin E. Martin, Erica Jamro-Comer, Marisa V. Andrews, Alison Almgren-Bell, Joan Riley, Patricia T. Jimenez

This retrospective cohort study assessed the accessibility of a genetic counselor on uptake of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) and carrier screening in a single academic Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) clinic. Read more. 

Advancing Health Equity: A Qualitative Study Assessing Barriers and Facilitators of Implementing Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk Screening Tools in Community-based Organizations

Alexandra Bowen, Sara Gómez-Trillos, Geoffrey Curran, Kristi D. Graves, Vanessa B. Sheppard, Marc D. Schwartz, Beth N. Peshkin, Claudia Campos, Nathaly Garcés, Chiranjeev Dash, Luisa Aburto, Nancy Valencia-Rojas, Gina Hernández, Antonio Villa, Paula Cupertino, Pilar Carrera, Alejandra Hurtado-de-Mendoza

Genetic counseling and testing (GCT) inform cancer management for persons at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC). Community-based organizations (CBOs) may play a role in identifying at-risk Latinx individuals to connect them to GCT but data are lacking. Read more. 

Performance of the Shared Decision-Making Process Scale for use in Evaluation of Hereditary Cancer Genetic Testing Decisions

Rachel Gore Moses, Amanda Nieters, K. D. Valentine, Mackenzie Wooters, Julia Wynn, Amy Wardyn, Laura Amendola, Karen R. Sepucha, Kristen M. Shannon

This study aimed to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, reliability, and validity of the existing four-item Shared Decision Making (SDM) Process Scale for use in evaluating genetic testing decisions. Patients from a large hereditary cancer genetics practice were invited to participate in a two-part survey after completing pre-test genetic counseling. Read more.