- By Tawanna St. Lewis, MS, CGC
- Posted November 20, 2023
Guest Blog: The Importance of Family Health History
My name is Tawanna St. Lewis, and I have been a genetic counselor for going on seven years now. My love for the profession continues to grow. I remain passionate about my role because I enjoy speaking with and helping patients, and I genuinely appreciate it when patients feel comfortable enough to share their health history and family history.…
- By Nicole Teed
- Posted November 14, 2023
Peace of Mind: Michelle Majewski Trusts the Patient for Life Program to Share Answers for Her Son Owen
Like most working moms, Michelle Majewski is busy. She spends her days juggling a career as a sales account executive, managing a household, and spending quality time with her husband, their son Owen, and their two dogs. Owen, now 4 years old, is a charmer. He also has extra medical needs, without a clear diagnosis or explanation. The search for…
- By Kristina O'Quinn
- Posted October 25, 2023
Off My Chest: How Negative Genetic Testing and a Supportive Community Helped Me Navigate Breast Cancer
In the fall of 2021, my eighteen-year-old child was making an appointment for an annual check-up, then handed me the phone and said, “Mom, don’t you need a check-up? Didn’t you miss your appointment last year because of COVID?” I had, in fact, missed my annual check-up and mammogram. A few days later, after the check-up and mammogram, I…
- By Jessica Grzybowski, MS, CGC
- Posted October 17, 2023
Understanding Gene-Disease Validity in Breast Cancer: The Power of Evidence
When it comes to understanding the genetic basis of diseases, evidence plays a crucial role. Gene-disease validity measures the strength of evidence associating pathogenic variants or changes in a gene to a genetic disease or syndrome. In the context of breast cancer, which affects approximately 1 in every 8 women, grasping gene-disease validity…
- By Meagan Farmer
- Posted September 27, 2023
Ambry Spotlight: BRCAResponder Amy Byer Shainman
Amy Byer Shainman, also known as BRCAResponder, is a patient advocate, author, and producer who provides support and education related to having a pathogenic variant in BRCA1/2 or other cancer predisposition genes. We connected with her ahead of National Previvor Day and Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week. Amy’s sister was diagnosed…
- By Meghan Towne, MS, CGC, LCGC
- Posted September 20, 2023
Genetics in Medicine publication demonstrates a 10% lower rate of VUS with WES/WGS compared to panels
Are uncertain results (variants of uncertain significance, or VUS) more likely in multi-gene panels (MGP) or whole exome- and genome-based (WES/WGS) tests? Ambry recently participated in a study led by the Medical Genomic Initiative (MGI) comparing the VUS rates for MGP and WES/WGS. The study, conducted across 19 clinical laboratories in North…
- 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 Meagan Farmer
- Posted August 2, 2023
Her Healthcare: Offering Comprehensive Care with Hereditary Cancer Testing
Dr. Noel Boyd is an OB/GYN who has been in private practice in a suburb of Houston, TX, for 21 years. The patients seen in her practice, Her Healthcare, range in age from 9 to 99, and she cares for them through everything from routine exams to high-risk pregnancy, from contraception counseling to cancer screening. “I really love taking care…
- By Jodi Tahsler
- Posted June 14, 2023
Passing on a Legacy of Health: Ben Huebsch Shares His BRCA Story for Men’s Health Week
Ben Huebsch was inspired to become an educator because of his mother’s advice to give back to his community. He loves his job as a middle school principal: he gets a front-row seat to the impact a dedicated staff can have on young lives! He is continuing his mother’s legacy by sharing his firsthand experience with BRCA testing for…
- By Dr. Harry Ostrer, M.D.
- Posted June 13, 2023
SCOTUS Tenth Anniversary: Myriad at 10
This week, we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision, Association of Molecular Pathology versus Myriad Genetics (“Myriad") that overturned the validity of gene patents. The case was successful, because of some remarkable contingencies, first the conceptualization by ACLU lawyer Chris Hansen and his advisor Tania…