GCTP Clinical and Research Training

Clinical rotations begin in the second quarter of the program and are required throughout, including summers. Because training for a career in genetic counseling requires meaningful interaction with clients in a variety of settings, students in the program have access to more than twenty-five adult, pediatric, prenatal and specialty genetic clinical training sites in the Baltimore-Washington area.

In addition, most students complete rotations at the NIH Clinical Research Center. These experiences are linked to investigations into the cause and clinical history of genetic conditions and behavioral issues surrounding the use of genetic testing. Students are exposed to cutting-edge molecular genetics research at  the NIH, providing them a rich training experience.

The Baltimore-Washington area provides diverse opportunities for students to learn more about the role of a genetic counselor in non-clinical positions. These opportunities include commercial and academic laboratories and education- and advocacy-focused organizations. Because of its proximity to the U.S. capital, the program is able to provide rare opportunities for students to be involved in policy analysis and development.

Evaluation of rotations

Preceptors evaluate each student's performance and students are asked to complete a self-evaluation of their progress. Additionally, students are asked to provide feedback to the clinical supervisor(s).

Who are the preceptors at clinical rotations?

Most of the preceptors for clinical rotations are board-certified genetic counselors. Those who are not (e.g., medical social workers, nurse practitioners, physicians, etc.) enhance the students' clinical training by exposing them to a variety of disciplines. The Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling endorses this type of broad experience.

Summer rotations

Students may elect to complete their summer rotations in the Baltimore-Washington area or elsewhere. Some students choose to do a summer rotation outside of the United States. An international summer rotation is an opportunity to see how genetics is practiced in another country and expand the profile of genetic counseling. For some, the summer is an opportunity to rotate at a genetics clinic near their home. Rotations outside of the Baltimore-Washington area are subject to the program's ability to find an available supervisor at the remote site.

Washington D.C./Baltimore Area Clinical Rotation Sites

Children's National Medical Center

• Anne Arundel Medical Center
  Maternal and Fetal Medicine
  Veronica Cadavid, M.S.
   
• Children's National Medical Center
  Pediatric Cancer Genetics
  Joyce Tannenbaum Turner, M.S.
   
• Pediatric Genetics
  Anna Ferrigan, M.S.
  Andrew Freiman, M.S.
  Heather Hain, M.S.
  Quinlyn Highsmith, M.S.
  Christine Maccia, M.S.
  Darilyn Mahoney, M.S.
  Stephanie Middleton, M.S.
  Ilana Miller, M.S.
  Gabrielle Pomorski, M.S.
  Rhonda Schonberg, M.S.
  Kara Simpson, M.S.
  Julia Weston, M.S.
   
• Franklin Square Hospital/MedStar Health
  Devin Pillis, M.S.

Greater Baltimore Medical Center

• Cancer Risk Assessment
  Jennifer Billiet, M.G.C.
   
• Pediatric Genetics 
  Marcia Ferguson, M.G.C.
  Amy Kimball, M.S.
   
• Prenatal Genetics 
  Adrienne Chase, M.G.C.
  Amy Kimball, M.S.

Greater Washington Maternal and Fetal Medicine

• Prenatal Diagnosis 
  Shanda Berry, M.G.C.
  Lorena Dujmusic, M.G.C.S.

Howard County General Hospital

• Prenatal Diagnosis 
  Ashley Jachens, M.S.

Inova Fairfax Hospital

• Cancer Risk Assessment
  Tiffanie DeMarco, M.S.
  Dina Aleddin, M.G.C.
  Kimberly Matthijssn, M.S.
  Emily Oppman, M.S.
  Katie Schwarting, M.S.
  Morgan Turner, M.S.

Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

• Center for Inherited Heart Disease Clinic 
  Emily Brown, M.S.
  Cynthia James, Ph.D., Sc.M.
  Becky McClellan, M.S.
  Brittney Murray, M.S.
  Bryana Rivers, M.S.
  Crystal Tichnell, M.G.C.
   
• Clinical Cancer Genetics and Prevention
  Dana Petry, Sc.M.
   
• Institute for Genetic Medicine (Pediatric and Adult General Genetics Clinic)
  Carolyn Applegate, M.G.C.
  Jackie Britton, M.G.C.
  Kelsey Guthrie, M.G.C.
  Gretchen MacCarrick, M.S.
  Weiyi Mu, Sc.M.
  Amy Patterson, M.S.
  Krista Schatz, M.S.
  Christy Smith, Sc.M.
  Karen Raraigh, M.G.C.
  Sumathi Rachamadugu, M.Sc., M.S.
   
• Prenatal Clinic
  Cathy Lawson, M.S.
  Christine Hertenstein, M.S.
  Kristen Miller, M.G.C.
  Carol Nowlen, M.S.
  Sabrina Southwick, M.S.

Kennedy Krieger Institute

• Genetic Counseling Clinic
  Julie Cohen, Sc.M.
  Alaina Acchione, M.S.
  Alyssa Blesson, M.G.C.
  Chelsea Flanigan, M.S.
  Alexis Heidlebaugh, Sc.M.
  Rebecca McClellan, M.G.C.
  Stephanie Riley, Sc.M.
  Sara Rubovits, M.G.C.

National Institutes of Health

National Cancer Institute

• Cancer Genetics
  Kathy Calzone, Ph.D., RN, AGN-BC, FAAN
  Grace-Ann Fasaye, Sc.M.
  Megan Frone, M.S.
  Alex Lebensohn, M.S.
  Yi Liu, M.S.
  Margarita Raygada,Ph.D., M.S.C.

National Eye Institute

• Ophthalmic Genetics
  Aime Agather, M.S.
  Delphine Blain, Sc.M.

National Human Genome Research Institute

• Metabolic Medicine Branch
  Organic Acidemias 
  Jennifer Sloan, Ph.D., M.S.
   
• Center for Precision Health Research
  Precision Genomics
  Julie Sapp, Sc.M.
   
• Reverse Phenotyping Core
  Caralynn Wilczewski, Ph.D., Sc.M.
   
• Prenatal Genomics and Therapy Section
  Amy Turriff, Sc.M.
   
• Childhood Complex Disease Genomics 
  Emilyn Banfield, Ph.D., M.S.
   
• Medical Genetics Branch
  Inflammatory Disease Section
  Natalie Deuitch, M.S.
   
• Undiagnosed Diseases Program
  Ellen Macnamara, Sc.M.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

• Clinical Genomics Program
   
• Centralized Sequencing Program
  Morgani Similuk, Sc.M., Ph.D.
  Sarah Bannon, M.S.
  Colleen Jodarski, M.G.C.
  Katie Lewis, Sc.M.
  Rachel Gore Moses, Sc.M.
  Mike Kamen, M.G.C.
  Nadjalisse Reynolds-Lallement, Sc.M.
  Jia Yan, M.S., Ph.D.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

• Neurogenetics Branch
  Alice Schindler, M.S.
   
• Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Disorders of Childhood Section
  Sandra Donkervoort, M.S.

University of Maryland Medical Center

• Cancer Risk Assessment 
  Jessica Scott, M.S.
   
• Pediatric and Adult Genetics 
  Alena Egense, M.S.
  Julie Frank, M.S.
  Kristin Maloney, M.S.
  Rachel Palmquist, M.S.
   
• Prenatal Diagnosis
  Amanda Higgs, M.G.C.
  Austin Janaitis, M.G.C.
  Hannah Johnstonbaugh, M.G.C.
  Amy Malinowski, M.G.C.
  Patrick Semensky, M.G.C.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

• Cancer Genetics
  Alexandra Bowen, M.S.
  Zoe Bogus, M.S.
  J. Fitzpatrick Doyle, M.S.
  Stephen Pupkin, M.S.
   
• General Genetics
  Rebecca Hicks, M.M.Sc.
   
• Prenatal Assessment Center
  Jocelyn Knazik Phelps, M.S.
   
• Cardiology
  Lydia Hellwig, Sc.M., Ph.D.
  Austin Pagani, M.G.C.
  Emma Schopp, Sc.M.

Non-Clinical Genetics Training Opportunities

• Genetic Alliance 
  One of the world's leading nonprofit health advocacy organizations. Its network includes more than 1,200 disease-specific advocacy organizations, as well as thousands of universities, private companies, government agencies, and public policy organizations. The network is a dynamic and growing open space for shared resources, creative tools, and innovative programs. Genetic Alliance engages individuals, families, and communities to transform health.
   
• Genetics and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD)
  A collaborative effort of two agencies at the National Institutes of Health, The Office of Rare Diseases and the National Human Genome Research Institute to help people find useful information about genetic conditions and rare diseases. 
   
• JHU DNA Diagnostic Laboratory 
  A non-profit, academic service lab established at Johns Hopkins in 1979.
   
• GeneDX 
  Specializes in genetic testing for rare hereditary disorders. Their mission is to make clinical testing available to people with rare genetic conditions and their families.

Genetics Policy Opportunities

NHGRI Policy and Program Analysis Branch

The Policy and Program Analysis Branch is part of the Office of Policy, Communication and Education within the NHGRI Office of the Director. This branch conducts policy development and analysis that enables NHGRI to pursue its mission.

NHGRI Education and Community Involvement Branch

The Education and Community Involvement Branch develops education and community involvement programs to engage a broad range of the public in understanding genomics and accompanying ethical, legal, and social issues.

EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases

The EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases empowers the rare disease patient community to advocate for impactful, science-driven legislation and policy that advances the equitable development of and access to lifesaving diagnoses, treatments, and cures.

International Training Sites

We encourage students to consider possible international opportunities during the summer between the first and second year of study. We have some program connections that could be used to pursue a rotation, but students have often successfully taken the initiative to create opportunities in other geographic regions, and we are happy to support those as well.

Other clinical training sites that participate in the Transnational Alliance for Genetic Counseling may also be available.

Genetic counseling seeks evidence to guide practice. Because one of the major goals of the program is to train students to conduct social, behavioral and policy research in the field of genetic counseling, a thesis project is required for graduation. It is expected that the theses will be of publishable quality. The program includes coursework that provides students with the training and experience necessary to develop, conduct and report on research.

Students are provided with a generous research budget to conduct their thesis project, as well as technical assistance. Program faculty have diverse backgrounds and are experienced in addressing research questions that are currently being asked in the field of genetic counseling.

There are a number of important areas of research, including but not limited to:

• Assessment of client needs and expectations of clinical practice, methods for addressing needs and expectations, and the relationship to desirable client outcomes.
• Effectiveness of genetic counseling interventions.
• Evaluation of personal and shared decision making to use genetic technology or to act on results.
• Impact of counseling on communication among family members and relationship dynamics.
• Enhanced coping and adaptation of individuals and families at risk or affected with rare genetic conditions following genetic counseling.
• Decision-making dynamics including the role and value of non-directiveness.
• Client attitudes toward, and media presentation of, new genetic technologies and related ethical, medical and service delivery issues.
• Efforts to reduce disparities in access to genetic testing and services for minority and traditionally under-served populations.

To begin to answer such questions, researchers with clinical experience in genetic counseling and expertise in social science research methods are needed. Training such researchers is a goal of this program.

Thesis Abstracts and Publications 1999-2024