March 2023
We are so excited to welcome the Class of 2023 and 2024 to the halls of Wrexham for their Spring semester. We hope everyone had a restful winter break! Our first years are eager to continue their training while working with simulated patients, taking specialty courses and beginning thesis work. Our second years are excited to finish their last semester strong. They are finalizing thesis work, busy with clinical rotations, and engaging in coursework.
Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental & Related Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship
Alej was one of three LEND trainees selected to participate in a Cultural and Public Health Immersion experience in January 2023 in Puerto Rico. Examples of programs and facilities they visited included the PR Family-to-Family Center Health Information Center, the PR State Department of Education, and the PR Infant Child Development Center. All of these programs focus on supporting children with special needs and various disabilities. The University of Puerto Rico has a partnership with NYMAC for families to seek additional genetic counseling and treatment in the United States as their child gets older.
"The most valuable lesson I learned on this trip is to always remember to include the states, territories, and tribes when developing grants, creating policies, and when advocating for individuals with special needs," said Alej. "It's especially important to consider one’s cultural values in order to best support them in a way that will be appropriate and meaningful to them. We may have one perspective, but this may not be what the individual we are working with needs!"
Congratulations, Alynn!
Alynn Kruse's abstract was accepted for the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Annual Meeting. She will be presenting her poster titled, "Ectodermal Dysplasia: A Case Report", in March in Salt Lake City! This case was from her summer rotation at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore.
NSGC 2022 Highlight
The Human Genetics Program's second year students, staff, and faculty attended NSGC in Nashville in November. Our second year students were thrilled to have learned so much in such a short couple of days, and were excited to network with many genetic counselors from all across the country. It was great to see all of our alumni who attended the SLC Reunion event during NSGC! It was one of the highlights of the conference for students, faculty, and staff. Thank you for attending and we look forward to seeing you next year!
Supervisor Spotlights
Sarah Gerrard MS, CGC
"Every rotation that genetic counseling students complete is unique, and I enjoy watching the students benefit in different ways from our rotation. I especially love hearing students say they have new or deepened appreciation for cancer genetics! As a genetic counseling student, I had amazing mentors who modeled the type of supervisor I hoped to be one day."
Sheila Johal MS, CGC, Cooper Surgical
"I am honored and privileged to participate in training genetic counseling students. Educating ourstudents is the best way to ensure patients are always well taken care of and our field continues to thrive and evolve. I am continually amazed at the intelligence and compassion our students demonstrate. Each student encounter reinforces for me that we are in good hands.”
Get Involved!
We are recruiting supervisors for student training in a variety of specialities and roles! Please reach out to Michelle at mbina@sarahlawrence.edu if you are interested in hosting a student.