Plans for Winter Break

Today is the last day of fall semester for our students, and we are excited for a three-week winter break! Some of our students share their plans for the break.

My plans for winter break include (unfortunately) having my wisdom tooth removed, reconnecting with family and friends, working on my thesis and enjoying my family’s holiday traditions.  I’m looking forward to getting dressed up and seeing the Boston Pops and watching the Patriots play in some snowy weather.

-Christine Drogan

I’m excited to wake up to coffee, freshly brewed by one of my parents every morning for three weeks, as I plan to sleep in during the break. When I’m not catching Z’s, I’ll be covering lots of ground on my thesis, meeting with vendors for my upcoming wedding, enjoying my grandmas’ holiday baking, and helping my sister celebrate her 21st birthday!

-Lauren Winter

I am very much looking forward to winter break. Top of my list is to take a nice long nap, but after that you will definitely catch me hitting the slopes, enjoying the holidays, and pumping out the literature review for my thesis.

-Ashley Lahr

I’ll be taking a much needed trip to warmer weather in Phoenix, Arizona and will be interviewing while I’m there! Of course, celebrating the holidays with family is a must. To top it off, I’ll be knocking a big chunk of data collection out of the way for my thesis.

-Andrew Fazenbaker

I’m looking forward to celebrating Christmas and New Year’s, as well as my favorite holiday- my birthday! Like my classmates, I’m planning to get some work done for my thesis, but I’m also planning to enjoy some downtime with my family and friends. I’ve got big plans to bake for the holidays and curl up on the couch with a book and my dog.

-Alyson Evans

I have plans to work on my thesis, sleep a lot, catch up on TV shows, and spend time with family and friends. I’ll be home in Chicago for the first two weeks and visiting friends in Alabama for New Year’s and some warmer weather!

-Claire McDonald

Like my classmates, being home for the holidays means scheduling appointments with a few healthcare professionals. I also plan to complete some case prep and an assignment, participate in Christmas traditions with family and friends, and head to Antigua for some much needed sunshine!

-Rose Venier

Over break I plan to SLEEP! My favorite school-break tradition is re-reading the whole Harry Potter series, so I’ll get to pretend I’m at Hogwarts. Christmas will be spent with my parents and New Years will be spent with my friends in Chicago.

-Chelsey Walsh

Over break I plan to catch up on sleep, spend time with my family here in Pittsburgh, and just relaxing. I’ll be watching Christmas movies, mostly those on the Hallmark channel, along with the classics such as ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’. My little sister will be coming home from college so we will be going to the movies, Kennywood’s Light Up Night, and causing mischief like normal.

-Haley Kulas

2019 NSGC Conference

The class of 2020 recently attended their first NSGC annual conference in Salt Lake City. This week, some of our second years reflect on their experiences at the conference.

"NSGC can definitely be a whirlwind for first time attendees. There are so many sessions to check out and opportunities to network that you can walk away feeling like you have done a lot and yet not enough. For me, the most exciting part was getting to interact with genetic counselors working in less common specialties and who have interests in a concentrated area. A particular highlight was meeting with other genetic counselors involved in public health and hearing their insights. It was also a wonderful time to bond with classmates. I definitely look forward to attending the conference in the future." 

Exploring the salt lake

 "I had never attended a conference before, so NSGC was a little overwhelming. I was struck by how friendly everyone was; I added tags to my badge that stated I was a student and a first-time attendee, and a few other attendees welcomed me as a newcomer. Networking is always intimidating for me, but with such a friendly group it was much less intimidating. Some highlights for me were meeting up with genetic counselors I had worked with before grad school, attending the public health SIG (special interest group) meeting, and meeting alums at the Pitt reunion. It was also my first trip to Salt Lake City, which was a beautiful location."

"It was great to get to go to talks about aspects of genetic counseling that I’m particularly interested in and meet people with shared interests. There were people from all stages of their careers at the conference, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to hear from everyone - from people with decades of experience to people just starting out. I particularly enjoyed meeting students from other programs and hearing about their experiences in grad school. I also knew that there was going to be a lot going on at the conference and that it could be overwhelming, and made sure to make some time for exploring Salt Lake City with some of my classmates to unwind after the conference."

Classmates at the Pitt reunion

"Attending NSGC was great! I had the opportunity to reconnect with old coworkers, learn about new and innovative research, and of course, explore Salt Lake City.  There was such a variety of talks that sometimes it was hard to decide what to attend!  I particularly enjoyed hearing from the patient speakers about their experiences with genetic counseling.  Additionally, it was  inspiring to be surrounded by such intelligent, warm, and pioneering genetic counselors in the field.  I look forward to the next one."

"I’m glad that my whole class had the opportunity to attend NSGC this year.  It was a particularly celebratory year as NSGC celebrated its 40th year as a professional organization. I learned a lot about the strides we have made as a profession, and what is to come for our ever-growing work force.  There were many sessions that interested me, and the days were very long, but I’m glad I decided to pack in as many things as possible!  I also enjoyed debriefing about the sessions with my classmates, networking with Pitt alum, and collaborating with my classmates to prepare for interviews.  I’m excited to return next year!"

The class of 2020 with our program directors

-The Class of 2020

Leadership Seminar: Sonia Suter

Sonia Suter, JD, MS

Each year, the Pitt GC students invite a leader in the genetics field to speak with current students and give a seminar that addresses leadership in the field of genetic counseling for the department. This year, the class of 2020 invited Sonia Suter, JD, MS. Sonia received a Master's in Human Genetics and worked as a genetic counselor for two years before attending law school. She is a faculty research professor at George Washington University Law School and has unique expertise in law, ethics, and genetics, which she shared with us in her talk, Legal Issues in Genetics. Some of our students shared their thoughts after Sonia's visit.

Sonia Suter is an engaging speaker who is incredible at communicating how genetic counseling interacts with and is shaped by policy. I learned a great deal about ethical issues of the use of family genetics in law enforcement, and found her talk about a genetic counselor’s duty to warn those at risk incredibly relevant to topics we’ve discussed in our genetic counseling curriculum. One thing that resonated with me that she repeated throughout her presentation was the need for interdisciplinary education, especially when it comes to genetics. The need for healthcare professionals who have an understanding of the law and humanities is greater than it’s ever been, and it is reassuring to know that a professional like Sonia Suter, who has a deep understanding of the potential impact of new genetic technologies as well as the ethical dilemmas that come with them, is working in policy and law. The second year genetic counseling students did the Human Genetics department proud by inviting a speaker with such a profound depth of knowledge to share with us!

-Kaylee Williams, 1st year genetic counseling student

It was a privilege to hear Ms. Suter’s perspective on current ethical and legal issues surrounding the increasing accessibility of genetic testing.  I especially enjoyed her discussion of how genetic testing impacts the public and is perceived by law enforcement professionals. It was an excellent addition to our training in thinking as public health professionals about how genetic testing impacts individuals and families in the clinical setting as well as population health.

-Lauren Winter, 2nd year genetic counseling student

I’ve thought about and discussed the ethical aspects of genetic counseling, but had never really considered the legal perspective. With training as both a genetic counselor and a lawyer, Ms. Suter has a unique viewpoint. Her talk focused on two issues: using genetic databases to find criminals by identifying their relatives (an issue that emerged a year and a half ago), and the duty of healthcare professionals to warn family members of relevant genetic issues (a topic that has been debated for decades). I really appreciated that she made the time to cover two separate issues, which are relevant to genetic counselors and public health professionals.

-Claire McDonald, 2nd year genetic counseling student

As technology and medicine continue to advance - with genetics at the forefront - ethical considerations are especially important. Ms. Suter addressed ethical and legal aspects of both medical and forensic genetics during her visit to Pitt. Her interests in genetics and law illustrated the breadth of work genetic counselors are capable of. Genetic counselors have a unique ability to combine their interests and to stress that the field of genetics is relevant to and informed by other disciplines. There is a role for genetics in all aspects of life, from healthcare to ancestry to legal proceedings. This also means genetic counselors are needed in many disciplines to help others understand our field as well as the implications genetics can have in many aspects of life. With such a wide reach comes responsibility and Dr. Suter did a great job of bringing our attention to the aspects of genetics that intersect with law. She may be one of only a few genetic counselor lawyers, but I’m sure she won’t be the last. 

-Rose Venier, 2nd year genetic counseling student

Listening to Ms. Suter speak was an eye-opening experience, as she has a unique blend of expertise in genetics and law. The intersection between laws and policy related to genetic testing and genetic information can be complex, and she did an incredible job of elucidating these ideas. She also stressed the importance of being able to see issues from multiple perspectives, and I think the relevance of this concept with respect to genetics cannot be overstated. As genetic counselors, our role expands far beyond the clinic; we have a responsibility to educate and advocate for ethical and accessible genetic testing practices. Dr. Suter is a fantastic example of how this can be accomplished, and I enjoyed hearing her opinions and ideas.

-Megan Czekalski, 1st year genetic counseling student