#259 NSGC 2023 Recap and Reflections

We want to acknowledge the war in the Middle East and its impact on this conference from a canceled session to protests close to the conference center. Regardless of how we view the war, it’s important we listen and support one another. 

You might be wondering why this episode was not released Friday morning like all of our episodes for the last few years… Well, we were busy at The National Society of Genetic Counselors Conference in Chicago which just wrapped. In order to be able to fully reflect on the conference we wanted to hold off on recording until the last day. Also this is why our host Kira Dineen’s voice is so strained because she was talking to so many of you. Our hearts are full! NSGC was incredibly fun this year! It was amazing to meet so many of you. Podcasting is very one way compared to other forms of digital media so it’s such a treat every year to meet people in person including many listeners who are genetic counselors and genetic counseling students. If we didn’t get to chat, please email in ([email protected]). 

Host Kira Dineen (she/her) is joined by fellow genetic counselor Catherine Mayo to recap and reflect on NSGC this year. Catherine Mayo (she/her), is a Genomic Science Liaison at Ambry Genetics. She is a board-certified genetic counselor interested in rare diseases, increased access to genetics services, and social justice in healthcare. She has previous experience in biotechnology and drug development in the Bay Area. Opinions in this episode are her own. 

Check out Catherine’s other appearance on DNA Today where we chatted about the film Gattaca, mostly how much technology in the film is no longer fiction. That’s Episode #110. We recorded this when we were roommates in grad school together and are members of Sarah Lawrence’s Class of 2020. 

October is also the 26th year anniversary of the movie’s release so our Patreon group is hanging on Zoom later this month to nerd out about it together! If you haven’t watched it, Gattaca is about a futuristic society where there is this disparity between people who were naturally conceived and those who were conceived through ART and are “designer babies”. 

National Society of Genetic Counselor (NSGC) 2023 Conference Sessions Discussed:

You Can Do It, Too! Genetics Content Creation and Science Communication via TikTok, Instagram, Podcasting, YouTube, LinkedIn and More

Janus Lecture - Family History: Exploring the Roots and Branches

NSGC Professional Issues Panel: How to “Widen the Frame” and Bring Intersectionality to Your Genetic Counseling Practice

Plenary Session: Say My Name, Say My Name: It's Time to Discuss the Problem with the Name "Genetic Counselor"

More info and discussion here

The Most Important Omics of All: Economics of Healthcare Across Private, Public, and Not-for-Profit Organizations

How to Build a Somatic Testing Protocol in Oncology: We’re Building the Plane While We’re Flying It

Late Breaking Plenary Session: Embracing Artificial Intelligence in Genetic Counseling: Transforming Patient Care and Enhancing Clinical Outcomes

Readings Referenced:

The Practical Guide to the Genetic Family History By Robin Bennett (March 2010)

The Spring of Sight By Rob Boscacci (May 2023)

Abandoning the word Caucasian (Oct 2023)

Practice resource-focused revision: Standardized pedigree nomenclature update centered on sex and gender inclusivity: A practice resource of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (Sept 2022) 

Standardized Human Pedigree Nomenclature: Update and Assessment of the Recommendations of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (Sept 2008)

Recommendations for standardized human pedigree nomenclature. Pedigree Standardization Task Force of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (Sept 1995)

Comparison of Ophthalmologist and Large Language Model Chatbot Responses to Online Patient Eye Care Questions (Aug 2023)

Scientists release a new human “pangenome” reference (May 2023)

DNA Today Podcast Episodes Referenced: