Impactful Educational Experiences

As the Class of 2016 prepares for graduation, students reflect on some of their favorite educational experiences in the Program outside of clinical rotations:

“I really loved Dr. Arnold’s lecture on metabolic disorders. I felt like she knew how to make a really complicated topic understandable in a way that stuck with me and is clearly an expert in her field.”  -Tricia

“I really enjoyed the Counseling Skills classes in our second year because we were able to connect theory to practice and share our own experiences confronting various psychosocial situations common to genetic counseling sessions along with strategies we've used to handle those situations.” –Bess

“Dr. Vellody gave an illuminating lecture regarding individuals and families with Down syndrome. He is an insightful doctor who works hard to improve every aspect of patient/physician interaction.”

-Kerrianne

"GC students invited Dr. Jehannine Austin to the University of Pittsburgh to share her experiences in creating the very first psychiatric genetic counseling clinic. Students benefited from some additional time speaking with her beyond her talk in which she inspired us to seek out areas of the profession that we are passionate about and to consider what unique attributes we bring to the field.”

–Amy K.

“I really enjoyed our cardiology lecture. Heart conditions can be so complicated, so it helped a lot to be able to visualize them on real human hearts (and it was so cool)!” – Becca

C. C. Li

“The C.C. Li Lecture last spring, given by Nancy Cox of Vanderbilt University, was an incredible and inspiring lecture that gave us insight into the future of research in the world of genetics and genomics for common disease.” –Nikki

“It was an eye-opening and emotional experience to hear from individuals and families impacted by genetic testing and the diagnosis of Huntington’s disease. This was an amazing way to hear patient perspectives and better understand the many considerations that go into pursuing genetic testing.” 

-Kelly

“It was really interesting listening to the panel of non-clinical GCs about their journeys of how they got to the positions they are in now. It really showed us all the possibilities out there for us with our degrees.”

-Kristin

"I enjoyed the many classes we had related to promoting job-related skills such as resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and salary negotiation!” –Laura

“Dr. Finder gave an inspiring lecture on the past, present, and future of treatments and management for individuals with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Additionally, Dr. Finder is very passionate about the utility of genetics in all areas of medicine.” –Erin

“There have been numerous opportunities to attend conferences and be involved in fellowships such as the Rare Disease Day Conference, the Reproductive Ethics Conference, the NYMAC Fellowship, and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation Fellowship on Death and Dying. These experiences have enhanced my understanding of concepts learned in both the clinic and the classroom.”

–Amy D.