In mid-November, our students virtually
attended the 39th Annual National Society of Genetic Counselors
Conference. The NSGC conference “showcases
advancements across the breadth of the genetic counseling profession to provide
education and build community.” In this blog, our students reflect on their
experience as first-time attendees and the switch from an in-person to virtual
conference.
“One of the silver-linings of a virtual
conference is the fact that all sessions were recorded! There were so many
interesting talks, and I was able to attend all of the ones on my list by
watching them live and recorded. I learned a lot of information about hot
topics in genetic counseling and heard from a variety of speakers from different
backgrounds. Although we couldn’t be in Nashville, it was still a conference to
remember!”
-Megan Czekalski, Class of 2021
“I enjoyed that there was so much information
concerning whole genome sequencing, which is a main focus of my thesis. The
topic was mainly introduced by laboratories but was then discussed openly by
genetic counselors, so it was interesting to hear both viewpoints. It also
helps that everything was virtual, so I was able to download all of the
associated materials and make notes on the chats.”
-Julia Gerow, Class of 2021
“I was very thankful to have a roommate who is
also in the program because we tried to make the most of watching the
conference sessions from our apartment by casting some of the sessions to our
TV. Doing that, paired with breaking out our current knitting/crocheting
projects, helped break up the monotony of looking at a computer all day. It was
even better when we did a group zoom with other current students and program
leadership for the main sessions - it made it feel a little more like we were
watching the sessions in a group setting like we would have in Nashville, and
we were able to have some great conversations!”
-Trinity Sprague, Class of 2021
“NSGC was super
interesting, and the number of topics that I got to see in just a few short
days was absolutely thrilling. I made sure to take down what notes I could in
my handy dandy notebook for reference and review. However, I think what I
enjoyed most about my first NSGC experience was the amount of networking that I
got to do. It was so humbling to see the great work that GCs across the world
are putting in to advance the field. I was inspired to reinvigorate my Twitter,
got in touch with fellow GCs to gather research and resources to keep the
learning going post-NSGC, and loved getting a chance to meet Pitt alumni for
bingo and casual break-outs. In short, I didn’t think networking could be this
fun. Thanks, NSGC!”
-Frank Swann, Class of 2022
“Although I was sad
not to be in Nashville, I really enjoyed NSGC. The presentations were all super
interesting and informative. I loved hearing Gunnar Esiason’s story because it
was such a personal insight into the experiences and feelings shared by many of
our patients. I also appreciated that I could watch some of the longer,
pre-recorded sessions in shorter intervals, which wouldn’t have been possible
in an in-person presentation.”
-Chelsey Walsh, Class of 2021
