Carrie Blout, MS, CGC, is a Senior Genetic Counselor and Project Manager at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and is the Director of Research Development for the Genomes2People translational research group.

Ms. Blout plays an active role in project management and/or advising for several research projects at BWH. She is the Project Manager (PM) for the PopSeq Project, a study exploring returning genomic results to the Jackson and Framingham Heart study populations and has previously worked as the PM for the MedSeq and BabySeq Projects, randomized control trials exploring the medical, behavioral and economic outcomes of whole genome sequencing. She is a GC advisor on the MilSeq Project, a study of genomic sequencing in the US Air Force. She works with the Partners HealthCare Biobank and previously the eMERGE consortium to return unanticipated actionable genetic findings to Biobank participants and serves on the Genomic Return of Result working group. She is an advisor to the Sanford Health METRICS study examining the impact of the Sanford Chip on medical, behavioral, and economic outcomes, and the Precision Medicine and Treatment (PreEMT) study, aimed at developing an economic model for newborn genomic sequencing. As the most senior GC at G2P she helps to foster new collaborations and draft new grant proposals.

Previously, Ms. Blout worked at Johns Hopkins coordinating clinical drug trials, enrolling individuals with Down syndrome and Achondroplasia, and providing genetic counseling to patients in the Cleft Clinic. She also worked at Nationwide Children’s Hospital as a general/pediatric genetic counselor and at the University of Maryland Medical Center & Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in newborn screening.

Ms. Blout volunteers for the National Society of Genetic Counselors and is currently leading an effort to draft a Practice Resource Document on proactive/elective Testing and has served on the NSGC Board of Directors, and the annual conference Program Committee and chaired the Public Policy Committee, the Webinar Subcommittee, and the Pediatric & General Genetics Special Interest Group. She received her MS in Genetic Counseling from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health in 2006.

  • BS, Biology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
  • MS, Genetic Counseling, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA

Research Interests

Ms. Blout’s research interests include exploring the medical, behavioral, and economic impact of genomic sequencing in both healthy populations and populations with suspected genetic disease. She is also committed to studying the return of unanticipated genetic results. She is also interested in exploring how fears of insurance discrimination influence patient decision making regarding whether or not to pursue genetic testing.

Returning Results in the Genomic Era: Initial Experiences of the eMERGE Network. Wiesner GL, Kulchak Rahm A, Appelbaum P, Aufox S, Bland ST, Blout CL, Christensen KD, Chung WK, Clayton EW, Green RC, Harr MH, Henrikson N, Hoell C, Holm IA, Jarvik GP, Kullo IJ, Lammers PE, Larson EB, Lindor NM, Marasa M, F Myers M, Peterson JF, Prows CA, Ralston JD, Milo Rasouly H, Sharp RR, Smith ME, Van Driest SL, Williams JL, Williams MS, Wynn J, Leppig KA. J Pers Med. 2020 Apr 27;10(2):E30

Christensen KD, Vassy JL, Phillips KA, Blout CL, Azzariti DR, Lu CY, Robinson JO, Lee K, Douglas MP, Yeh JM, Machini K, Stout NK, Rehm HL, McGuire AL, Green RC, Dukhovny D. (2018) Short-term costs of integrating whole-genome sequencing into primary care and cardiology settings: a pilot randomized trial. Genet Med. EPub ahead of print.

Amendola LM, Robinson JO, Hart R, Biswas S, Lee K, Bernhardt BA, East K, Gilmore MJ, Kauffman TL, Lewis KL, Roche M, Scollon S, Wynn J, Blout C. Why Patients Decline Genomic Sequencing Studies: Experiences from the CSER Consortium (2018) J Genet Couns. EPub ahead of print.

Vassy JL, Christensen KD, Schonman EF, Blout CL, Robinson JO, Krier JB, Diamond PM, Lebo M, Machini K, Azzariti DR, Dukhovny D, Bates DW, MacRae CA, Murray MF, McGuire AL, Green RC, for the MedSeq Project. (2017) The Impact of Whole Genome Sequencing on Primary Care and Outcomes of Healthy Adult Patients: A Pilot Randomized Trial. Annals Intern Med. EPub ahead of print.

Bergner A, Bollinger J, Raraigh K, Tichnell C, Murray B, Blout C, Telegrafi A, James C. (2014) Informed consent for exome sequencing research in families with genetic disease: The emerging issue of incidental findings. (2014) American Journal of Medical Genetics. 164(11):2745-52.

Blout, C. Walsh Vockley, A Gaviglio, M. Fox, L Williamson Dean, The Newborn screening task for on behalf of the NSGC Public Policy Committee. (2013) Newborn Screening: Education Consent, and the Residual Blood Spot. The Position of the National Society of Genetic Counselors. (2013) C. The Journal of Genetic Counseling. 23(1):16-19.

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