Genetic Counseling Support for U.S. Military Populations: An Introduction to the Military SIG

9.16.2024

The Military Health System (MHS), the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and civilian health care systems provide care for over 18 million active-duty military service members, veterans and their families in the United States. Genetic and genomic testing can have unique implications ...

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Reflections From a New Supervisor: Challenges and Lessons Learned

9.11.2024

Last year, I was promoted to a genetic counselor supervisor position within my institution. While this transition has been mostly a positive experience so far, my time as a new leader has also presented me with challenges that I did not initially expect. Although I have gained more ...

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From the Clinic to the Laboratory: Reframing Your Purpose

9.9.2024

“I like science and I want to help people.” In my experience as a faculty member, this is overwhelmingly the (paraphrased) answer of many prospective genetic counseling students when asked, “Why genetic counseling?” during interviews. A driving force for many who enter this field is the natural ...

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Frameworks for Neurodevelopmental Diagnosis in Genetic Counseling

9.4.2024

Since my graduate training, this case and others, left me questioning the best approach to genetic counseling for patients and parents with neurodevelopmental disorders. A systematic review of the opinions and experiences of people with intellectual disability calls the paucity of knowledge “a ...

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NSGC Annual Conference Rollnick Lecture Will Inspire & Educate on SCD Therapies

8.27.2024

On December 8, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved two cell-based gene therapies for sickle cell disease (SCD), including one that utilizes CRISPR technology — the first of its kind to be approved. Despite the intention of this demonstrating a commitment from the medical community ...

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The X Factor: How One Organization Is Shedding Much-Needed Light on XXY

8.22.2024

Sarah McCarthy was 20 weeks pregnant when she learned through noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) that her son could have XXY. McCarthy googled “Klinefelter syndrome.” Her search yielded an alarming array of decades-old photographs and cartoon-like images depicting a composite of every possible ...

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Can We Only Be Successful If We Mask Our Disabilities?

8.19.2024

We were not prepared for the resistance we would meet as we began navigating the genetic counseling profession as individuals with disabilities. Our experiences culminated as we both found ourselves in the prenatal space. One as a new graduate; the other as a student in one of their final ...

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Professional Status Survey Update

8.2.2024

The NSGC Professional Status Survey (PSS) is an essential yet complex annual undertaking, reflecting the evolving roles and activities of genetic counselors. Despite efforts to refine the survey, challenges persist, including its length and the reliability of self-reported data. Declining response ...

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Family Lines: How the Past Affects the Present for African-American Patients

7.17.2024

We need to reflect on the history of African-Americans in the medical system. The era of chattel slavery in the United States was a period of widespread atrocities committed against African-Americans. Medical experimentation was one of them. Wealthy physicians owned enslaved people not just for ...

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Gratitude, and What We Are Looking Forward to at the 2024 Annual Conference

7.12.2024

The July Advocate highlights the upcoming 2024 Annual Conference, expressing gratitude to the organizing committee and staff while sharing excitement for key sessions on the new CPT code for genetic counselors, gene therapy, and advanced J.E.D.I content. It also encourages early bird registration ...

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