Student Spotlight: Carolyn Maxwell

Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) is a graduate-level interdisciplinary training program focused around improving the health of people with disabilities. I have always been interested in how interdisciplinary teams work together to provide the best care for a patient, and I thought of LEND as an excellent opportunity to learn from other healthcare providers' perspectives.

I was interested in LEND, but I was also worried about overloading my plate. I am a dual degree student, and I have a job as a clinical research assistant; suffice to say, I am busy enough. When Jodie discussed these opportunities through LEND, she explained a new program they were piloting called the Medium Term Traineeship (MTT). The MTT would allow me to pick LEND learning modules I was interested in and participate in a long-term project. To complete the MTT, you participate in at least 40 hours of LEND events and attend two monthly MTT meetings.

I completed the MTT through LEND this year, and it was such an impactful experience. I entered the MTT expecting to learn about interdisciplinary teams and their perspectives to enhance my practice. What I actually learned about were transdisciplinary teams, in which the family and their input are integral in all health decisions. In LEND, there are trainees such as speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and many more health care disciplines. Importantly, families are also trainees in LEND who attend all the classes and participate in the events. These families have a child with a neurodevelopmental disability or themselves have a disability. The family's perspectives challenged how I approached problems and enhanced my understanding of the challenges and the joys of having a child with a neurodevelopment disability. The MTT enhanced my knowledge of so many topics we discussed in our coursework and will impact my understanding in clinical as well.

For more information about the LEND program, check out:
https://www.lend.pitt.edu/

Q&A: Elena Kessler, Pediatric Genetic Counselor

 

Elena Kessler is a graduate of the Pitt Genetic Counseling Program and now works at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP). In addition to seeing regular pediatric patients, she began the Pediatric Cancer Predisposition Program and sees many oncology patients. Pitt genetic counseling students have the opportunity to rotate through this program during their second year!

 

Why did you decide to become a genetic counselor?

I was in my junior year of college taking a genetics class as a bio major, and at the time I had no idea what I wanted to do after graduation. I loved all my psych classes, and considered some jobs in that realm, but I was deep into the bio path at that point. I considered physical therapy and athletic training, but after shadowing those professionals, the careers did not click for me. I really liked my genetics class, and one day we learned about the field of genetic counseling. We were assigned a case to present to the class, and I played the role of GC with my lab partners playing a couple with a family history of fetal alcohol syndrome. Everyone’s cases were really interesting! After class, I asked some questions and my professor told me more about the field. He mentioned that he knew a GC in my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, and thought it could be a career for me to consider. After learning more about peds genetics, I thought back about many kids and families I spent time with as a child while my parents officiated the Special Olympics. I knew I wanted to work with and help people in some way, and many aspects of the field achieve that, so I found my path towards GC!

 

Why did you decide to specialize in pediatric genetic counseling?

After completing my rotations in grad school, I had interests in both peds and oncology. I spent the first 3 years working in the GI genetics clinic, and then moved to CHP when a position became available. I love that in peds specifically, you often have a long-term relationship with the family and can continue helping them and updating them for years.

 

What is an average day like for you?

Fast-paced and unpredictable. I see patients 2-3 days per week, and other days are spent calling out results, and doing other patient-centered tasks.

 

What is your favorite part about being a genetic counselor?

Helping families understand the child’s test results and connecting them with valuable resources. Many of the conditions we deal with are ultra rare, and newly discovered. We have a unique role to empower families in this learning process with us. I think I learn something new every day in this job

 

What inspired you to develop the Pediatric Cancer Predisposition program, and what has that experience been like?

After my experience working in adult genetics, I naturally became the point person at CHP for oncology cases. But we rarely saw the oncology patients in genetics, both due to low referral rates and the numerous other priority visits these families frequently have. And many oncologists weren’t as up to date on pediatric cancer syndromes, so they didn’t think genetics was needed. Our currently graduating hem/onc physicians are trained extensively on genetics, mostly due to the many somatic changes that occur in tumors. One day, I had the opportunity to present at the hem/onc staff meeting about genetics, which was great, and physicians would periodically contact me about patients, but it was still rare. Over the years, more large institutions developed pediatric cancer genetics clinics, so I expressed interest to Dr. Vockley in teaming up with hem/onc to see these patients. In 2016, the hem/onc department hired a new physician, Dr. Wendy Chang, and she had experience during her fellowship working with genetic counselors. We started from scratch developing every aspect of the clinic until we launched officially in 2017. We presented information about our new clinic and gave an educational seminar to 7 different departments around the hospital, and we created pamphlets for the hem/onc waiting room and survivorship clinic appointments. Currently I run the program with Dr. Julia Meade, who is a neurooncologist. I now spend the majority of my time in oncology, with a few patients in medical genetics every week or so. In the next year or two, I will likely move over there full time!

 

Is there anything that surprised you when you first started working as a genetic counselor?

You can be as knowledgeable and prepared for a case as possible, but psychosocial issues and unexpected questions will continue to challenge you. Those are fun things though 😊

Student Spotlight: Madalyn Charnego

 

    When I received my offer to join the Pitt master’s of public health program for fall of 2020, I was a few short days away from Match Day. At that same time, I was coming to terms with the fact that I had lost the end of my undergraduate career to the COVID-19 pandemic. The blur of excitement that should have been the spring of my senior year was overtaken by virtual classes, virtual interviews, and lost opportunities. When Match Day came, I was left without a program and unsure of where my next chapter would take me. Looking for a sense of purpose, I chose to accept the offer from Pitt’s MPH program.

              Receiving my MPH was always something that I had been interested in and was a big factor of why I had applied to Pitt in the first place. The chance to learn more about how genetics impacts populations was intriguing. I knew that there would be a lot of new opportunities for me that would open up by completing an MPH. I was still thinking that genetic counseling was the career for me but starting this MPH would give me the chance to explore some more avenues. Although this was not the path I had intended for myself originally, I tried hard to keep myself focused on the positives. I had a new plan of action and was excited to get started.

              When the fall semester began, I was immediately shocked by how supportive and welcoming the School of Public Health and the Human Genetics Department were—even over Zoom! I fell in love with the department and the culture at Pitt. I broadened my horizons from genetics into health equity and health literacy. I was able to take classes that explored those topics on a deeper level. Through my MPH coursework, I found a new passion for advocating for better access to health care information and materials written and presented at appropriate levels for all patients, instead of only for individuals with high health literacy. I ultimately chose this topic to focus my thesis around.

              As the application cycle for 2021 began to open up, I struggled with what to do. I knew I wanted to finish what I had started with the MPH, but I knew that genetic counseling was really where my career goals were. I chose to apply to only Pitt for the 2021 cycle. Although applying to one school could be considered a gamble, it was a chance I was willing to take. Similarly, I found comfort in the fact that no matter what, I could always apply again, and I was still going to finish my MPH. I updated my application materials to reflect all that I had accomplished since starting the MPH program and spent time learning more clearly what the Pitt GC program had to offer. The application cycle moved fast, and soon I was interviewing and submitting my very short rank list. When Match Day brought me the news that I was going to finally accomplish my dream of not only becoming a genetic counselor, but also receiving my MPH at the same time, I was overjoyed.

              Matching meant I get to stay in Pittsburgh for three years total, instead of only two. With this comes extra time to complete my thesis, more chances to take courses in areas that interested me, and more opportunities to explore the city I now call home. On top of all of this, completing a full year of course work before starting the GC program proved to be incredibly beneficial to my success. Because I had already been in many of the courses that first year GC students take, I was able to focus more effectively on the GC-specific courses that I still needed to take. Plus, I could use the knowledge I had already acquired the year before to inform my learning in other classes. While this path is not necessarily the ideal for everyone, it has turned out to be the perfect fit for me. Taking three years to complete my two degrees has given me space to follow my passions and grow as both a student and a future genetics provider.

-Madalyn Charnego

Student Spotlight: Lucy Galea

 

When I was furloughed at the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020, it was a time for me to reflect on where I was in life and reassess where I wanted to be heading. Genetic counseling had been on my mind for a little while, but the pandemic granted me the time to do a deep dive on the profession and see if this was the career for me. I decided that it was! I quickly found out, though, that shadowing opportunities were unavailable in Pittsburgh, understandably due to the pandemic, which meant that all my genetic counseling exposure came from other forms of experiences.

Informational interviews were a big part of me learning about genetic counseling. I used the Find a Genetic Counselor search function on the NSGC website to see which genetic counselors in my area were interested in speaking with students. Plenty of emails were sent, and six genetic counselors from all different fields found time to speak with me and answer my very long list of questions, for which I will always be grateful for.

There were a couple of different series on YouTube that I watched, that helped me see for myself what a genetic counseling session would often look like. The NSGC Master Genetic Counselor Series and the Genetic Counseling in Action video series were great ways to see what genetic counseling involves with a patient. Over time, I went back to the sessions and watched them again and as my exposure to the field grew, I could point out different elements and aspects of the appointment. Another series that I watched was the Voices of Genetic Counselors video series. These videos were very useful in seeing the impact that genetic counselors could have on their patients and the impact that patients have on genetic counselors’ lives.

A silver lining of the pandemic was that a lot of exposure days and genetic counseling conferences went online, which meant that I was able to attend these events from all over the country without having to leave my home. Some of the annual education conferences I attended were hosted by the Pennsylvania Association of Genetic Counselors, Southern California Genetic Counselors, Michigan Association of Genetic Counselors, and Canadian Association of Genetic Counselors. I attended prospective student days online including Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Genetic Counseling Virtual Career Day, the DNA Sample Day with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and the Geisinger Genetic Counseling Open House. The Twitter and Instagram genetic counseling communities were also great at promoting these kinds of events, so following relevant accounts that promoted virtual events was helpful (these change cycle to cycle, so search to see who has an active account currently). Webinars for professional development also took off in 2020 and these were a great opportunity to get a short insight into a particular topic.

Listening to genetic counseling podcasts on long walks really helped to cure my pandemic cabin fever! There are some fantastic genetics specific podcasts out there, including from the perspective of the genetic counselor, the patient perspective and about current professional issues. Patient Stories with Grey Genetics had a big impact on how I started to think about genetic counseling, because it really opened my eyes to the patient’s side of the story and the impact that genetic diagnoses can have on a patient and/or family. The NSGC Podcast Series gave me a great view into the life of a genetic counselor. Recently I have been listening to The Beagle Has Landed and GC Chat, which both give thought provoking perspectives on topical professional genetic counseling issues and recently seen cases.

Finally, I would like to highlight how helpful it was to meet with Pitt’s faculty during virtual appointment hours that were specifically dedicated for prospective students. These sessions really helped me to get a feel for the program and the faculty involved, and I got vital feedback on how my application was progressing.

In some ways, I am thankful that my exposure to the genetic counseling field began during the pandemic because I believe it truly broadened my view of genetics and genetic counseling. It made me seek out of different ways to gain exposure to the field, which ultimately allowed me to see and hear presentations about topics that I would never have otherwise been able to.

-Lucy Galea

Student Spotlight: Impana Shetty

 

    When I first started at Pitt this past fall, many people told me that grad school would go by fast. I was pretty skeptical, especially since a two-year program seemed like a pretty long time! Now that I am more than halfway into my first year, I have realized that grad school truly does go by fast. It seems like we were learning about taking pedigrees only a few weeks ago, and now we are having the second-year students give us presentations on clinical rotations. With rotations starting in a few months, I have been starting to seriously think about what I would like to do for my optional rotation.

    At Pitt, students have space for a three-week optional rotation in their rotation schedules. The optional rotation is a time for students to get experience in a specialty they are interested in. A few of the rotations on the list of possibilities are working at Ophthalmic Genetics, the UPMC Clinical Genomics Laboratory, and the Muscular Dystrophy Clinic. You can also get extra exposure in a certain rotation or even craft your own rotation with the help of the program directors and site supervisors. If you want to spend your optional rotation outside at Pittsburgh, you can use this time as an opportunity to either rotate at a place close to home or work at a place you might want to live in after grad school. If there is a particular optional rotation that a second-year student has recently done, you can talk to them about their experience to get a better idea of what the rotation is like.

    Being able to choose an optional rotation is exciting since there are so many different possibilities you can choose from. However, with all of these options, it can also be overwhelming to pick the one rotation you want to do! As I go through the list of the optional rotation possibilities, I have started narrowing down my top three choices based on the specialties I may want to pursue in the future. After taking a GeneDx seminar series last semester, I became curious about laboratory genetic counseling and working in a non-clinical setting. As a result, the options that are in my preliminary top three list are rotating at GeneDx, focusing on exome testing, and conducting research. Since I do not have prior experience in these areas, I think that rotating at one of these places would be a great way to get a better understanding of these specialties and see which one could be a good fit for me in the future!

-Impana Shetty

Student Spotlight: Morgan Brzozowski

 

              I knew I wanted to enter the field of genetic counseling before I graduated high school. I had my path perfectly planned out in my mind: I would go to college, study biology and psychology, graduate, and go directly to grad school to pursue my masters in genetic counseling. I had no doubts this was it. Several years and applications later, I realized that my path wasn’t going to be so direct. I came to accept the fact that my future was now unknown, and I needed to gain more experience in the field to strengthen my application. Luckily, I was able to find a position as a genetic counseling assistant (GCA) at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in neurogenetics. While at Penn, I was exposed to the ins and outs of the daily responsibilities of a genetic counselor. I knew I was gaining invaluable experiences through speaking with patients, prepping appointments, ordering tests and following up with results. After a year of working as a GCA at Penn I was able increase my workload to include research coordination on projects involving telehealth satisfaction in neurogenetics. This was an entirely new experience that further opened my eyes to the different possibilities of working as a clinical GC.

              I loved the work I had been doing and was ready to get back into the application cycle. Several months later, I was beyond excited to learn of my acceptance into the program at Pitt. As I began to prepare for this next step in my journey, there was a nagging reminder that I hadn’t been in a classroom for several years. I knew I was entering a program with academically rigorous schedule, and became anxious as to what it would feel like to be back. I often found myself thinking, how will I start to study? What will it feel like to be in a lecture again? How am I going to manage working while taking classes?

              Two weeks after arriving on campus, everything began to fall into place. I realized that I needed to alter my previous style of taking notes and develop a new study regime. As expected and appreciated, classes moved at a faster pace, and I was more passionate about the courses than ever before. My classmates contributed greatly to my transition to being a student again and became a strong support system. In addition to beginning classes, I was also starting a new job as a GCA in ophthalmology at UPMC. I was excited to be able to take on this position but was aware that it would add on another layer of complexity to my schedule. I knew it would provide unparalleled exposure to a new specialty; however, I would have to find a balance between work and school. This was a challenge for me. I quickly recognized that there were not enough hours in a day to complete everything on my to-do list. My time management skills would have to be adjusted so that I could use my days most efficiently and effectively. As the time passed, I began to learn that I needed to take a step back and evaluate, to breathe and not become overwhelmed. By creating a schedule, and holding myself responsible, I acknowledged that there was enough time, and that with stability came success. I found myself back on that path I set years ago. 

-Morgan Brzozowski

2021 Leadership Seminar Series

 

Each year, the second-year genetic counseling students invite an individual from the genetic counseling community to speak as part of our annual Leadership Seminar Series. This is an opportunity for us to hear a unique and important perspective on leadership, genetic counseling practice, and professional opportunities as we approach our graduation. In 2021, we hosted Dr. Gillian Hooker, genetic counselor, former President of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, and current Chief Scientific Officer at Concert Genetics.

Below are some reflections from our current genetic counseling students.

 

When the time finally came for our esteemed speaker, Dr. Hooker, to join us at the University of Pittsburgh, I wondered how someone at the start of their GC journey like myself could possibly approach a conversation with someone with such a robust list of experiences and accolades in the field. However, it didn't take long to see how down-to-earth, relatable, and passionate that Gillian was! I immediately understood her role as a model and expert in the field, and became motivated to gather as many nuggets of expertise from her during her visit as possible. During this time, it was apparent how invested she is in educating the next generation of genetic counselors on how to be innovative as we continue to push the field forward. I appreciate the time that she took to visit us here in Pittsburgh and look forward to reflecting on key points from her fantastic seminar as I prepare for graduation and enter the workforce!

-Frank Swann, Class of 2022

 

It was wonderful to hear Gillian speak about her perspectives regarding the evolution of genetic counseling; being one of the young genetic counselors fighting to make a difference and change what our field looks like was meaningful and made me feel even more excited about my position. Gillian has had an abundance of leadership experience in the field and I can’t wait to take what I’ve learned from her and apply that to my future career.

-Ariel Breeze, Class of 2023

 

Gillian’s presentation was incredibly inspiring. It was great to hear from someone so successful in our field and it made me excited for my future as a genetic counselor.

-Madalyn Charnego, Class of 2023

 

It was so encouraging to hear from someone so well-known and established in the genetic counseling field, and how they believe we should move forward as a field. Being able to discuss and address some of the field of genetics’ shortcomings and how to best proceed made me feel integral in the process and gets me excited for the future of genetic counseling.

-Samantha Runa, Class of 2023

 

Gillian’s talk was both informative in regard to the past and present of our field, as well as invigorating regarding its future. I’m so excited to be joining a profession with such thoughtful and inspiring leaders!

-Kate Cioffi, Class of 2023

 

I was so thankful that Gillian took the time to speak with us. As we enter this fast-growing community of genetic counselors, it feels important to hear about where the profession started and how things may shape in the years ahead. Having the privilege to speak with Gillian, who has been such a leader in the genetic counseling community, helped me understand our responsibility to the profession and made me excited for what is to come.

-Elise Williams, Class of 2023

 

Gillian is a true leader in the genetic counseling field and it was a privilege to have her be our presenter in 2021. Listening to Gillian’s lecture, and speaking with her afterward, about the past, current, and future trajectory of our profession was certainly inspiring!

-Lucy Galea, Class of 2023

 

It was such an amazing opportunity to be able to speak with Gillian before hearing her lecture at the Leadership Seminar. As a second-year class, we were so excited to invite Gillian to be the speaker for this seminar because of her incredible work in the field. She gave such insight into the evolution of the field of genetic counseling and where the field may be headed in the future. Gillian’s talk was both informative and invigorating, and made me so excited about the fact that I will soon be transitioning from the role of a student to that of a genetic counselor. Thank you, Gillian for inspiring future GCs!

-Savannah Binion, Class of 2023

 

It was such a privilege to hear Gillian speak and learn more about her professional journey in genetic counseling. She is so inspiring and it definitely excited me for my future as a genetic counselor!

-Glenna Noska, Class of 2023

 

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it in person, but I appreciated the discussions remotely. Gillian’s lecture was energizing, and her encouragement made me proud to be a part of the "game changers" generation of genetic counseling as a first-year GC student. Afterwards, I reached out to her via LinkedIn to thank her, and she immediately replied with the same energy!

-Daniel Brennsteiner, Class of 2023

 

I was so grateful to have the opportunity to hear Gillian speak and share her knowledge as one of the leaders in the field. As a future genetic counselor, hearing her perspective on the future of the profession was eye-opening and motivating!

-Impana Shetty, Class of 2023

 

It was such an amazing experience having Gillian as our speaker. She really embodies what it means to be a leader in genetic counseling and her insights into where the field is moving really opened my eyes to what it means to be an innovative leader.

-Carolyn Maxwell, Class of 2023

 

I really enjoyed meeting with Gillian and listening to her talk. She came at a time during the semester where things were really starting to pick up speed and get pretty stressful. Her discussion of the future of genetic counselors and genetic counseling was some much-needed motivation to keep going. She made me so proud to be a part of this community and reminded me why I love this field and its people so much.

-Julia Knapo, Class of 2022

 

It is 6 months away from my graduation, and along with the feeling of excitement, I feel the uncertainty in getting my first job and looking into directions for my career. Gillian’s talk has come at such a right time, not only in terms of motivation and dedication, but also an important reminder for me to broaden my horizons and envision what is and will be in the field, as well as what I aspire to make an impact on. As I take what I learned from her talk to shape my niche hopefully starting from my first job, I hope to reconnect with her and hear more of her insights which are sure to be invaluable.

-Phuc Do, Class of 2022

 

I am grateful for having the opportunity to meet with Gillian and have her speak at our Leadership Seminar. We were able to sit down and talk with Gillian before our seminar where she shared her path and took a true interest in getting to know all of us and our journeys. She also talked about the work she is doing to help improve access to genetic services and where she sees growth in the genetic counseling community. I have always had a passion for finding ways to increase access to genetic services and being able to speak firsthand with a leader in this area has made me even more excited to become a genetic counselor.

-Kristen D’Aquila, Class of 2022

 

It was inspiring to hear Gillian present on her experiences in the field of genetic counseling. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about how she views the future directions of genetic counseling and the ways in which we can contribute to the growth of the field as we continue our education.

-Morgan Brzozowski, Class of 2023

 

Gillian’s lecture was very critical to the evolution of the field of genetic counseling. It is important to be reflective and address the areas that we can improve. Listening to her present was a wonderful experience. Thank you Gillian!

-Haley Soller, Class of 2022

 

I was in awe of Gillian’s lecture as it made me reflect on how far the field of genetic counseling has come in such a short time. Gillian was able to artfully highlight the strengths of our field while addressing the ever-changing areas of growth. I will take her wisdom with me as I enter the field myself and always remember the foundation our careers have been built on.

-Natalie Tri, Class of 2022