During some of our most difficult moments, genetic counselors can help us make critical decisions about our health and the future of our family members. 

Join Jennifer Reid, MD as she learns all about genetic counseling from Laynie Dratch, ScM, Certified Genetic counselor. 

Discussed in this Episode:
1) How does the "counseling" part of genetic counseling work?
2) Why is Laynie so concerned about the increase in direct-to-consumer genetics testing like 23 and Me?
3) How does she help individuals through the identity challenges when they learn about genetic risks?
4) What gives her hope in the field of neurological genetics?

References from Episode
Ambiguous Loss with Pauline Boss, Ph.D. https://www.ambiguousloss.com/
Jehannine C. Austin on Polygenic Risks in Psychiatric Disorders https://medgen.med.ubc.ca/jehannine-austin/
Penn Frontotemporal Dementia Center https://pennftdcenter.wordpress.com/

Laynie Dratch, ScM CGC is a board-certified genetic counselor for the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) Center and Penn Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Center in the Department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests include the lived experiences of individuals at risk of developing ALS/FTD spectrum disorders, and genetic counseling access and service delivery. 

Laynie completed her master’s in genetic counseling at the Johns Hopkins University / National Institutes of Health genetic counseling training program and completed her undergraduate studies at Colgate University where she graduated summa cum laude with a BA in neuroscience and a minor in psychology.

Jennifer Reid, MD: thereflectivedoc.com
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