• By Meagan Farmer
  • Posted February 21, 2024

A GC’s Perspective on Lab Expertise: Getting Answers After Years of Uncertainty

Kaitlin Stokes is a genetic counselor at Houston Methodist West in Houston, TX. She sees patients with personal or family histories of cancer that may be due to an underlying hereditary cause. We recently connected with Kaitlin about her role, and she shared, “I love what I do because I feel like I’m helping people. I’m giving them control…


  • By Jessica Scott, MGC, CGC
  • Posted January 17, 2024

The Patient Impact of Lab Expertise and Collaboration

“My advice for clinicians and healthcare providers who are ordering genetic testing is [that they] should feel that they are partners with the lab,” explains Chana Ratner, Genetic Counselor at Hackensack University Medical Center. We were grateful for the opportunity to connect with Chana and to discuss her experience as a clinical genetic…


  • By Meagan Farmer
  • Posted December 8, 2023

A Genetic Counselor’s Experience with Proactive Reanalysis through Patient for Life: An Interview with Kelly Minks, MS, CGC

At the National Society for Genetic Counselors Annual Conference, I had the chance to sit down with Kelly Minks, MS, CGC. Ms. Minks is a genetic counselor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, with a clinical practice focused on pediatric neurology. She routinely orders exome testing for children with developmental…


  • By Ashley Thompson
  • Posted September 14, 2023

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Spotlight: Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation

Norma was a healthy, active 65-year-old woman who was rarely sick and had always been proactive about her health. She went to her internist complaining of weight gain, abdominal discomfort, and a chronic cough. When the diagnosis was finally made, Norma had stage 4 ovarian cancer. She endured nine hours of surgery, countless rounds of chemotherapy,…


  • By Jodi Tahsler
  • Posted March 2, 2023

Meet the Gene Team: Bess Wayburn, PhD, CGC, presents the Gene of the Month, SPTBN1

Meet the Gene Team The Gene Team is an essential part of Ambry Genetics. This passionate team of experts is inspired by advancing the science of gene characterization and being able to help patients. For our first installment, we would like to introduce Bess Wayburn, PhD, CGC, Principal Clinical Scientist at Ambry Genetics. Bess Wayburn is a…


  • By Melissa Holman, MS, CGC
  • Posted February 28, 2023

American Heart Month Spotlight: Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Athletes

Earlier this year, the nation’s attention was captured by Damar Hamlin’s story after he collapsed on the field from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) during Monday Night Football. After Hamlin’s collapse, teammates, fans and most of America watched as CPR was performed and he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. In the days that followed,…


  • By Margo Gallegos, MS, CGC
  • Posted November 8, 2022

Genetic Counselors Make the Industry World Go Round

It’s 3 p.m. on a Friday and Gene Counselier, a genetic counselor for Healthcare Center, is at their desk after a long day at the clinic, placing patient orders. Gene knows from their years of working with patients that choosing the right testing laboratory is vital to set their clinic and patients up for success. Gene opens the Ambry Genetics…


  • By Caroline Elsas
  • Posted November 4, 2021

We Can Help Reduce Barriers to Cancer Genetic Testing

The world of hereditary cancer testing is complex, but genetic information is crucial for flagging at-risk patients and their relatives. They might just benefit from earlier and more frequent surveillance and/or preventive surgeries. For those individuals who face important and difficult health decisions, genetic counselors are invaluable members…


  • By Alexandria Meyer
  • Posted November 8, 2018

I am a Genetic Counselor- What Does That Mean?

“Genetic counselor” is not just a job title, though it is one that I have been enormously proud to carry for the past 10 years. In that time, I have come to primarily think of “genetic counselor” as a term which embodies a skill set. Just like Liam Neeson in “Taken,” we have a very special set of skills, however, our skills allow…


  • By Jessica Profato, MS, CGC
  • Posted June 8, 2018

I Survived Cancer, so Why do I Need Genetic Testing for it?

As a clinical genetic counselor, I saw many cancer survivors for genetic counseling. In some cases, it had been 30-40 years since they were diagnosed. Some of them were in their 60s-70s when I saw them, but they were young at the time of their cancer diagnosis. Years later, they were referred to me to talk about the possibility that their history…