2016 Dean’s Day Competition

Each spring the Graduate School of Public Health holds a Dean’s Day Competition. Graduate students from every department present their research in poster sessions. In these sessions, each poster is judged by faculty members for departmental and school-wide awards.

This year, the 2016 Genetic Counseling class had 5 students participate in the competition and we are proud to say that we had two winners! Kelly Johnson won a Human Genetics departmental award and Laura Cross won the 3^rd place school wide master’s level award.

Laura Cross –“Population Screening for Hereditary Cancer: Opinions from Amazon 

Mechanical Turks"(3^rd Place School Wide, Master’s Winner)

Kelly Johnson –– “Genome-Wide Scan Implicates Novel Genes with Childhood Bone Geometry” (Departmental Winner)

Bess Wayburn –“Psychosocial Impact of Targeted Exome Sequencing on Parents of Chronically Ill Children”

Tricia Zion –“Genetic Counselors' Views and Opinions Regarding the Possible Implementation of Prenatal Exome Sequencing”

Erin Winchester –“Physician Knowledge and Attitudes Concerning Breast Cancer Genetics”

We look forward to seeing the research that will be presented at next year’s competition!

Job Search and Interview Tips

Congratulations to our second year students who have all accepted work positions over the past couple of months! As the Class of 2016 prepares to graduate and start their new jobs, they would like to share some tips regarding the job search process, and interviewing:

"Don’t be afraid to expand the geographical area of where you are applying, you never know where you might find the perfect fit!” -Kristin

“Take advantage of the alumni reunion party at the NSGC AEC. You never know who has a job opening, or who may know of someone with a job opening. Make those connections and maintain them.” -Erin

"It’s important to think critically about what it is you want out of a position. If you go into the interview process understanding your own priorities, it will make finding a position that fits so much easier for you and your future employer.” -Nikki




"Do a little research into the institution or the hot topics of the sub-specialty for which you are interviewing and come up with some thoughtful questions to ask your interviewer. It never fails to impress!” -Amy K.



"Pay attention to the interview process itself and how smoothly (or not smoothly) everything is organized. It’s a good way to get a glimpse into how that hospital/organization runs in general. Listen to the red flags if they are there!” -Laura

“Keep yourself open to every opportunity that comes along and advocate for yourself! You never know where you might find the perfect job fit – it could be at a conference, alumni meeting, through a job posting, or over brunch.” -Kerrianne





"Before starting the interview process, think about how your graduate school experience makes you unique compared to not only other new grads, but to experienced GCs as well. Be prepared to give specific examples. Highlight your readiness to be an independent genetic counselor by discussing the number of cases you’ve seen and the responsibilities you’ve taken on in sessions.” -Bess

"Ask current GCs what they wish they had known before working at that institution, and ask about what their work/life balance looks like.” -Kelly

"Know what your strengths are and what sets you apart from others. Don’t downplay them because you can use them to prove your worth when negotiating for better pay.” -Tricia

"Practice interview questions with a friend or classmate. Be prepared to reflect on a difficult case you saw as a student, and how you were able to learn from that experience and improve for future cases.” -Amy D.

"You should go into the job search process knowing that every hospital/company/department will be on a little bit of a different timeline. Some will contact you right away after you apply, while others may go through a longer HR process first. Some will ask you for a phone or skype interview before considering flying you out for an in person interview, while others will ask you to come right away. This may put you on a different timeline than your classmates who are also searching for jobs. That is completely normal and expected, so do not worry if it takes you a little longer to find a job!” -Becca

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.

Favorite Things About Pittsburgh

When taking a break from our studies, we try to take advantage of all that the city has to offer. Here are some of the things that the Class of 2017 loves about Pittsburgh. 

Festivals and Events 

There are a lot of festivals and events going on throughout the city, especially at the Point and stadiums in the summer and fall. It's a fun atmosphere: people, music, entertainment, and food! A Pittsburgh favorite is Jam on Walnut which takes place during summer! Walnut Street shuts down and basically becomes a one-stop shop for food, drinks, and live music. However, with things going on every month, there is just no way to mention all of them, so be sure to check out the schedule for the year. 

Photo by AlpineInc

Sports

Pittsburgh is definitely a sports town with the Steeler, Pirates, and Penguins all located here. Pitt students often take advantage of discounted tickets to games. The Pitt football team shares Heinz field with the Steelers, so you get to watch school games in an NFL stadium. 

Repurposed Churches

Given the history of the city, many businesses like to reuse existing buildings in order to preserve the architecture. This also includes churches! Two good ones are the Church Brew Works which is a restaurant-microbrewery and Mr. Smalls Theater for live music.

Green Spaces 

Even though Pittsburgh is a city there are a ton of parks. During spring and summer, visiting Schenley or any of the other parks feel like a nice getaway without having to get of out town. There are a lot of great, safe trails to explore. It's relaxing to sit in the grass on a nice sunny day with a book. Plus there are free yoga classes at each of the parks on different days of the week. 

Photo by An Errant Knight 

Fittsburgh

Pittsburgh is a very active city. With Healthy Ride stations set up throughout the city, it's easy and cheap to rent a bike to commute or explore. There are a ton of runners in the city, regardless of the weather. You can hit the road solo or with one of the running groups. 

Food and Culture

The Strip and the Cultural districts feed your inner foodie. There are so many fun grocery and specialty shops to explore all in one place, it’s truly a cooking enthusiast's delight! If you don’t feel like washing dishes though, there are a ton of restaurants so there are always new places to try - it seems like every ethnicity is represented! 

Dinner at Hofbrauhaus

Interview Tips from 1st Year Genetic Counseling Students

Interview season is right around the corner for most programs, which can make many applicants nervous. Here is some advice from the Class of 2017 to help you prepare:

• Look up info about the program, university, rotation sites, and if possible, the interviewers. This will increase your confidence going into the interview and also provide more in-depth conversation topics or questions.

• Ask questions! You don’t want to leave an interview before your allotted time is up. You can ask about the interviewer's opinions, interests, or the field in general. It stimulates conversation and that’s what you want. Let your interests and intellect shine through the questions you ask.

• Do some research before your interview to find out what makes the program unique and why it is a school you would consider attending. Make sure you are clear in your interview that you know why you might want this program over others. 

• You’ve probably heard this from everyone, but really do try to be yourself.  You want the interviewers to at least get a glimpse of your personality so that they can determine whether or not you’ll be a good fit.  You’re going to be in school for 2 years, so you want to make sure it will be somewhere with people whose personalities and values really mesh with yours.

• Practice! You can’t guess all the questions that might be asked, but you know some of them. You’ll be a lot more natural and relaxed if you practice how you phrase things out loud before you get to the interview!

• I made a list of all the questions I wanted to ask. If they were not addressed during the group sessions, I made sure to ask them in the one-on-one sessions of interviews. 

• Be yourself. You want the program that best fits you personally. The only way to judge that is to remain as close to yourself as possible. Obviously, stay professional, and nerves are normal.

• Don't forget that you're a critic too. The program has to fit all of your needs. Ask questions. Make sure you're comfortable. 

• Remember genetic counselors are welcoming by nature - there's nothing to be afraid of!

We wish you the best of luck in all of your interviews!

Class of 2017