#161 Phenotips: Digital Tools in Genetic Counseling

DNA Today’s host Kira Dineen is also the host of the PhenoTips Speaker Series. This monthly live webinar focuses on relevant genetics topics by featuring discussions with thought leaders and experts in genomic medicine. In this podcast episode we are sharing an installment of the PhenoTips Speaker Series, “The Adoption and Impact of Digital Tools in Genetic Counseling”.

This episode features a panel of genetic counselors, who are digital champions at their respective practices, discuss the impact of digital tools on their departments as well as their experience and insights championing the adoption of digital tools.

As genetic testing becomes increasingly common, genetic counselors face increasing demand that they struggle to meet due to low numbers of genetic professionals in clinical care. Supplementing genetic counseling practice with digital tools is necessary in order to provide essential services while mitigating burnout, but genetic counselors and genetic departments face significant barriers to adoption. To help lessen these barriers, PhenoTips invited genetic counselors Scott Weissman, Amy Taylor and Andrew McCarty to share their experiences becoming digital champions, gathering departmental support, and the clinical impact their departments have experienced since adoption.

Dr. Amy Taylor is the Lead Consultant Genetic Counsellor at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. With over a decade of experience in Genetic Counseling, she heads a team of 14 Genetic Counsellors who provide high quality service to patients in the East Anglia region. Her specialist interests include cancer genetics, cardiac genetics and neurofibromatosis type 2, and for the last six years she has been a member of the UK Cancer Genetics Group Council. Amy’s articles have been published in prestigious journals such as Clinical Genetics and Journal of Medical Genetics.

Andrew McCarty is a Laboratory Genetic Counselor at Perkin Elmer Genomics. He also operates a private practice based out of Pittsburgh called Clover Genetics working to improve access to genetic services. With a passion for providing genetic education to healthcare providers, students, and individuals seeking care, Andrew has authored numerous scholarly articles, including research on the use of the digital tool Proband in pedigree construction and assessment published in the Journal of Genetic Counseling.

Scott Weissman, an NSGC Digital Ambassador, has over 15 years of experience in adult-onset genetic disorders and cancer genetics. He is the founder Chicago Genetic Consultants, LLC and the Cancer Services Lead at tele-genetics provider Genome Medical. Scott has worked with patient advocacy groups (FORCE, Bright Pink, CCARE) as well as lectured across the country on a variety of topics related to genetic counseling and testing. Scott’s scholarly articles have been published in prestigious journals such as Genetics in Medicine, Cancer, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Genetic Counseling, and many more.

In this panel discussion moderated by DNA Today’s Founder, Producer and Host, Kira Dineen, CGC, Amy Taylor, Scott Weissman, and Andrew McCarty draw on personal experiences to provide insights on:

The clinical impact of digital tools in genetic departments through examples from their years of practice

Their journey of gathering departmental support for adoption of digital tools

The techniques that allow genetic counselors and genetic departments to overcome challenges in digital tool adoption.

Stay tuned for the next new episode of DNA Today on November 12th! This episode will be another insightful installment of the PhenoTips Speaker Series where we explore the future of genetic counseling with Amy Sturm and Erynn Gordon.

New episodes are released on the first and third Friday of the month, with some bonus episodes. In the meantime, you can binge over 160 other episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, streaming on the website, or any other podcast player by searching, “DNA Today”. Episodes in 2021 are also recorded with video which you can watch on our YouTube channel.

See what else we are up to on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and our website, DNApodcast.com. Questions/inquiries can be sent to info@DNApodcast.com.

Do you or someone you know have Prader-Willi syndrome? Harmony Biosciences is looking for people with Prader-Willi syndrome to enroll in a new clinical study in the United States. Harmony Biosciences will be studying the safety and impact of an investigational medication on excessive daytime sleepiness, cognition, and behavioral function in people with Prader Willi syndrome. Check out their website to learn more about the clinical study and refer a patient to a study center. More clinical studies for genetic conditions can be found at KnowRare.com. (SPONSORED)

Do you work in a lab? Want to receive rewards when you order supplies? Check out Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Aspire program, it’s a rewards program created with scientists, like you, in mind. All members receive a free full size trial product every year. Points are earned every time you use or purchase products. Rewards include science themed apparel like a zip up DNA hoodie! Check it out at ThermoFisher.com/aspire-DNAtoday and for a limited time receive 500 bonus points.

ThermoFisher Terms and Conditions: Open only to eligible participants in the US (excluding Puerto Rico) and Canada (excluding Quebec). Eligible participants must complete the enrollment process for the Aspire member program in order to be enrolled in the program and receive rewards and benefits. Enrollees must confirm their health care professional or government employment status during time of enrollment. For full terms and conditions of the program, go to thermofisher.com/aspire/tc. Offer is void where prohibited, licensed, or restricted by federal, state, provincial, or local laws or regulation or agency/institutional policy. Other restrictions may apply. (SPONSORED)

Polygenic Risk Scores are no longer science fiction. Allelica has created a secure and trusted platform for Polygenic Risk Score analysis and reporting. Health systems and clinical laboratories can be equipped with Allelica’s cutting-edge tools to reduce the impact of common disease through genomic medicine. Allelica's Polygenic Risk Scores for common diseases have the highest predictive power on the market. This allows physicians to more effectively help patients lower their risk of life-threatening diseases. Learn more at Allelica.com. Empowering the next generation of clinical genomics. (SPONSORED)

For centuries, humanity has imagined a magical fountain that could unlock eternal youth. New scientific advances suggest this might actually be a reality in the not-too-distant future. Journalist Keith McArthur explores the mysteries of aging in “Unlocking The Fountain” from CBC Podcasts, where you’ll meet dreamers, skeptics and cutting edge scientists, including those who believe that the first person who will live to 150 years old has already been born. Keith McArthur hosted “Unlocking Bryson’s Brain”, which we recommended last year, and now you can tune into his brand new podcast! We have already binged all the episodes released so far. Join us in listening to “Unlocking The Foundation” everywhere you get your podcasts. (SPONSORED)