Graduating genetic counseling students in the Class of 2022 presented their Capstone research projects during the department’s 2nd annual Student Research Symposium on April 25-26. The presentations were the culmination of work that began when students arrived in Fall 2020. Their projects covered a range of clinical and professional topics.
In her introduction, Allison Cirino, Director of Student Research, congratulated the students on completing projects “that will influence the further development of the genetic counseling profession and improve patient care by evaluating clinical outcomes, uplifting patient voices, and promoting equity and inclusion in genetics.”
Graduating students Madison Cheney, Emma Snyder, and Charlene Preys also presented their Capstone research during the Massachusetts General Hospital Genetics “Updates in Clinical Genetics” Conference on April 14.
“We are very proud of our students and the work that they have accomplished,” said Program Director Maureen Flynn, “and are grateful for the collaborations and enthusiasm clinicians and researchers within Mass General Brigham have demonstrated to serve on capstone committees. The dissemination of this work is important.”
Presentations:
Megan Dwyer: Diagnostic testing choice in pregnancies with positive cfDNA for trisomy 18 or 13 and first-trimester ultrasound findings
Charlene Preys: Impact of genetic test availability on provider attitudes and educational outcomes
Alexa Nitka: Impact of genetic test availability on provider attitudes and educational outcomes
Ally Hempel: Parental experiences following results of non-infantile disease-associated variants for Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I (MPS I) or Pompe Disease
Chelsea Stevens: Genetic Counseling for Fetal Sex Prediction by NIPT: Challenges and Opportunities
Abigail Sveden: Introduction of the Genetic Counseling Profession by Teachers in BIPOC-Majority High Schools
Katie Regan: Information needs of parents of children with genetic disorders of surfactant dysfunction: What parents want to know and how they want to communicate it to their affected children
Stephanie Woo: The Utilization and Impact of Clinical Dysmorphology on Racially Diverse Patients: A Scoping Review
Emily Maxwell: Further defining the roles and impact of genetic counselors in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry
Maggie Watson: Pregnancy Outcomes Following High-Risk cfDNA Results for Monosomy X
Emma Snyder: Assessing Genetic Counselors’ Perspectives on Disrupting Anti-LGBTQI+ Bias from Patients
Luanna Buchanan: SDHx germline pathogenic variants as secondary findings: investigating clinical presentation, screening recommendations, and outcomes
Claire Nusbaum: A Qualitative Exploration of Interprofessional Collaborative Practice between Genetic Counselors and Mental Health Providers
Gwen Muscato: A mixture of emotions: Exploring family experiences following genetic testing for a childhood-onset cancer predisposition syndrome
Emily Pei-Chen Hsieh: Understanding family communication about disease risk in East Asian Individuals with an inherited arrhythmia condition
Kaleigh Patton: Reproductive decision-making and the utilization of preimplantation genetic testing among individuals with inherited aortic or vascular disease
Amin Zarkesh: Identifying views and perspectives towards genetic counseling among Iranians in the United States
Alexandria N. Wolff: A qualitative study of the perceptions and roles of patient advocacy groups in
sponsored genetic testing programs
Madison Cheney: The Impact Of Therapies And Supports On The Quality Of Life Of Men With Klinefelter Syndrome
Kyle Davis: An Exploratory Study of Provider Practices Surrounding Identification of Heterozygous ALPL Variants via Expanded Carrier Screening