Assessing the Integration of Genomic Medicine in Genetic Counseling Training Programs
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NEXT GENERATION GENETIC COUNSELING
Assessing the Integration of Genomic Medicine in Genetic Counseling Training Programs Jessica Profato & Erynn S. Gordon & Shannan Dixon & Andrea Kwan
Received: 8 May 2013 / Accepted: 25 November 2013 # National Society of Genetic Counselors, Inc. 2014
Abstract Medical genetics has entered a period of transition from genetics to genomics. Genetic counselors (GCs) may take on roles in the clinical implementation of genomics. This study explores the perspectives of program directors (PDs) on including genomic medicine in GC training programs, as well as the status of this integration. Study methods included an online survey, an optional one-on-one telephone interview, and an optional curricula content analysis. The majority of respondents (15/16) reported that it is important to include genomic medicine in program curricula. Most topics of genomic medicine are either “currently taught” or “under development” in all participating programs. Interview data from five PDs and one faculty member supported the survey data. Integrating genomics in training programs is challenging, and it is essential to develop genomics resources for curricula.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10897-013-9677-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. J. Profato (*) Clinical Cancer Genetics Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1155 Pressler St., Unit 1354, Houston, TX 77030, USA e-mail: [email protected] E. S. Gordon InVitae, San Francisco, CA, USA S. Dixon Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA A. Kwan Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA A. Kwan Division of Medical Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
Keywords Genetic counseling . Genomics . Genetics . Education . Medical
Introduction Medical genetics is transitioning from genetics to genomics (Collins and Guttmacher 2001). The completion of the Human Genome Project and the International Haplotype Map (HapMap) project initiated a trend of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) (Morton 2008), allowing researchers to identify genetic variants that are associated with complex conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease (Mavaddat et al. 2010; Billings and Florez 2010; Kraja et al. 2011). Genomic medicine has been defined as the screening, diagnosing, counseling, and/or treating of patients, enhanced by knowledge of their genomes (Boone et al. 2011). Medical applications of genomics include classifying disease states and prognoses, improving therapy and treatments, improving the design of clinical trials, and identifying genetic susceptibility (Green et al. 2011; Lander 2011; Chan and Ginsburg 2011; Ginsburg and Willard 2009). However, multiple barriers hinder the clinical application of genomics, including cost, availability, translation of research findings, and lack of knowledge among healthcare providers (Khoury 2010; Bernhardt et al. 2012; Kli
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