As an alumna of Pitt’s MPH in Public Health Genetics program, I was thrilled when I found out I had matched to Pitt’s Genetic Counseling program. Not only did I get to return to a school that felt like home, but I also knew that given the overlap in the two programs’ curricula, I would have some room in my schedule to take electives. Ultimately, while much of our program curriculum is devoted to teaching us the things we need to know to pass the boards and to succeed in clinic, there are many other aspects of being a functioning genetic counselor that electives can help to cultivate.
My hope is that any future Pitt GC student who comes in to the program with existing graduate credits can use this list as a jumping-off point when thinking about what electives they might like to take. Or, perhaps this list can provide some elective inspiration to prospective GC students who are looking to round out their undergraduate educations.
Introduction to Community Health – BCHS 2554
If you’re thinking about applying to the Pitt GC Program, odds are that you have at least a casual interest in public health. For me, the most crucial aspect of any public health initiative is productively engaging and respecting the community where the program will take place. This course emphasized practical strategies for building trustworthiness with potential community partners and encouraged thoughtful reflection on what makes the populations with whom we are interested in working unique. We also read about many past and present examples of community-specific, participatory interventions. My favorite example was Freedom House, the first ever modern Emergency Medical Service in this country, which was run by Black Pittsburgh residents. The book detailing the story of Freedom House, American Sirens by Kevin Hazzard, should be required reading for any aspiring healthcare or public health professional. (Plus, the writing is phenomenal.) As a future genetic counselor, there may be times where I seek to engage different patient populations or expand services in different areas, and this course gave me some of the tools to think about how best to go about those endeavors collaboratively.
Introduction to R – EPIDEM 2186
I will be the first person to admit that I have no idea how computers work. Therefore, I have always felt a not-insignificant level of dread when I have to use any statistical software to do class assignments or research tasks. I decided to challenge myself and take a class in R to try to mitigate that dread, and this class did actually help! The professor started out very slowly, and I never felt like I was in over my head. I learned about objects, functions, packages, data cleaning and management, and even how to easily create publication-ready tables and figures. The course was very hands-on, and we practiced the things we learned each week in real-time. Genetic counselors are often involved in research projects, so it is nice to have at least some working knowledge of how the statistical software works in the background. I still prefer counseling over coding, but I now feel much more prepared to do the latter.
Genetic Conditions & Public Health Programs – HUGEN 2056
As someone with an MPH in Public Health Genetics, this course spoke directly to my soul. It covered both current public health genetics initiatives as well as the details of the genetic conditions that these initiatives address. Such initiatives covered included newborn screening, pharmacogenetics programs, and state cancer control plans. These lectures provided insight on where the patients we see as genetic counselors might first interface with genetics and why these programs are vital. The main assignments in this course were long-form presentations on different genetic conditions targeted to audiences of varying backgrounds. After preparing and delivering these presentations, I now feel quite comfortable with the conditions on which I presented (ask me anything about Long QT Syndrome, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2, or Fabry Disease). I also feel more practiced at tailoring the information about a specific condition to a given audience. Genetic counselors share information not only with patients but also with other genetic counselors and other healthcare providers, so I felt that this practice in determining which pieces of information are most important to share and in delivering that information at the right level was invaluable. The presentations were also a great way to practice public speaking in a low-stakes environment, which is helpful in building confidence for the bigger presentations to come in my education and career.
Death & Dying – HHD 2023
Conversations that touch on death can be common in genetic counseling appointments, whether in talking to a patient about family members they have lost to cancer, discussing a person's pregnancy loss, or discussing how someone's genetic condition can increase the likelihood of an untimely death. I tend to get pretty emotional when talking about death, so I felt that it was important both to practice talking about death and to gain new perspectives on dying. This course covered many topics related to death, ranging from different cultures’ conceptualizations of death, death with dignity, and types of grief. Some of the most impactful assignments were those that encouraged us to reflect on our own relationships with death. We wrote our own obituaries and chronicled the significant losses we’ve experienced. These reflective assignments helped me think critically about what specific genetic counseling patient scenarios might bring up difficult feelings for me and open the door for countertransference. I know that the name of the course seems gloomy, but I really think the concepts covered will make me a better genetic counselor (and a better person). If you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend watching some of the videos on the YouTube channel Ask a Mortician. We watched these videos a lot in class, and I found them quite approachable.
Overall, I feel very fortunate to have had the ability to take some of these less-traditional courses in tandem with my genetic counseling classes. Each provided practical skills, new perspectives, and opportunities for reflection. When searching for an elective next semester, I encourage you to think creatively about how each of your options might help you develop in a nonconventional way!
