Student Work Position: NYMAC Regional Genetics Network Graduate Student Worker

As many of my classmates have posted previously, Pitt’s Genetic Counseling program provides us with the great opportunity to have a part-time student work position while enrolled in the program. Not only is this beneficial from a financial standpoint while in graduate school, but also allows us to learn more outside of the classroom and clinic settings, and in many cases, provides a basis for our thesis projects.   

For my student work position, I am a graduate student worker for the NYMAC Regional Genetics Network. The U.S. is made up of seven regional genetics networks, with a joint goal of improving access to genetics services. “NYMAC” is the New York Mid-Atlantic Consortium, the Regional Genetics Network which includes Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D. C. 

NYMAC aims to improve access to and awareness of relevant genetic services in the region, with broad goals that include: Increasing the number of individuals receiving genetic services in the region, including medically underserved populations; education of primary care providers and increase in the number of providers utilizing NYMAC resources; and improving access to genetic services within the region, including the use of telemedicine. 

In order to meet some of these goals, NYMAC has implemented the Genetic Services Referral Phone Line, which I spend part of my time staffing. The phone line is open to anyone and was created in order to improve access to genetic services and assist individuals or healthcare providers in finding genetic services in their area. When someone calls in, we use a regional directory and can provide the caller with information for genetics clinics based on their location and type of services needed, including sites which offer telemedicine and may be closer to the caller’s home. When staffing the call center, we aren’t able to provide callers with medical advice or other direct support; however, individuals with questions about a specific conditions are referred to GARD (Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center) and individuals looking for support for themselves or their family are referred to appropriate regional family support resources.

With an additional goal of educating primary care providers about genetics, NYMAC, and NYMAC resources, another part of my role as a NYMAC graduate student worker includes developing educational materials. I recently helped develop and finalize “When to Refer” documents. These documents outline some helpful guidelines for primary care or other healthcare providers to assist them in identifying patients who may benefit from a genetics referral. These documents have been published on the NYMAC website for cancer (https://www.wadsworth.org/cancer-referrals) and pediatric genetics referrals (https://www.wadsworth.org/pediatric-referrals), and I’ve been working to develop more “When to Refer” documents as well. 

In addition to the phone line and educational material development, my role allows me to participate in regular NYMAC conference calls, discussing the phone line, goals, and additional projects. I was also recently able to be involved in a presentation to a regional family group about genetic counseling and NYMAC, and attended the NYMAC Steering Committee meeting in Washington, D.C. last fall.

This position has been integral in helping me build my genetic counseling skill set, helping me learn some helpful ways to provide information and education to both patients and other healthcare providers. From both genetic counseling and public health standpoints, this position allows me to be a part of efforts to improve access to genetic services, an experience which will be invaluable to me as a future genetic counselor. I’m excited to continue working with the NYMAC team over the next year!

Alyson Evans, Class of 2020