Time flies when you're having fun

              Another week has flown by for the first years in the University of Cincinnati’s Genetic Counseling Program.  We got to go to our first journal club meeting this week.   We reviewed an article entitled “Genomics: The Breast Cancer Landscape” by Joe Gray and Brian Druker, which was recently published by Nature.  The authors discussed whole genome sequencing and how it could be used to examine tumor diversity so physicians could use targeted therapies. 

                In other exciting news, we are looking forward to attending the 2012 Ohio Genetic Counselor Meeting next Friday, September 21^st, which our Assistant Director, Carrie Atzinger, has helped to coordinate.   This conference will be held at the Cincinnati’s Children Hospital this year which ensures all the University of Cincinnati genetic counseling students will be able to attend.  Practicing genetic counselors and students from all over the state will attend the meeting.  Topics addressed throughout the day include: updates on the Ohio Newborn Screening, genetic research studies in Ohio, defining the role of genetic counselors in Epilepsy and Hematology/Oncology and many more. 

                As October draws closer and the weather begins cooling down the first year students are getting more and more excited about clinical rotations.  Our first clinical rotation begins in early October.  This first rotation mostly involves observation of the genetic counseling session.  My first rotation is in Pediatrics with a focus on Tuberous Sclerosis (TS).  Understanding that I might not have any background knowledge on TS the genetic counselor I am observing has posted a few journal articles to help me familiarize myself with the disorder.  I can’t wait to start seeing patients, but more to come on that in a few weeks.

                Many of us our eager to attend our first UC football game against Delaware State this Saturday (Go Bearcats!).  Hope you guys have a great weekend. 

Some first years at the University of Cincinnati football game

Second years enjoying the game

An exciting start to the fall 2012 semester

The Cincinnati Genetic Counseling Program students are off to another great start this year! To kick off the program’s 31st year, we attended an in depth orientation series followed by a team building exercise and picnic in the park with program faculty and staff prior to the start of classes. 

The first years are wrapping up their second week of classes.  This semester the first years are taking human genetics, molecular genetics, introduction to genetic counseling, epidemiology, counseling techniques, and emerging topics in genetic counseling.  Since many of our classes take place at Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital we are lucky enough to have specialists in different fields come and lecture for our classes.  So far we have had lectures on metabolic disorders, newborn screenings and chromosomal structure abnormalities.  It’s refreshing to be in graduate school taking only classes that directly relate to the field of genetic counseling. 

The second years are taking advanced genetic counseling, statistics and emerging topics in genetic counseling.  The rest of their time is filled up meeting with clients in clinic and working on their theses. 

In addition to the classes listed above the first and second years also attend case conferences.  These conferences give the second years a chance to discuss cases they saw during their summer rotations, and a chance for first years to hear about things they may encounter in their future rotations.  Psychosocial issues, rare disorders and new treatments are some of the topics discussed at case conference every week.

At the University of Cincinnati all first years are matched up with a second year student.  These second years act as mentors to help answer any questions the first years have and address any of their concerns.  This weekend I was able to meet up with my mentor, Rebecca, outside of school to talk about how I have been adjusting to graduate school.  It is comforting to have someone to talk to that has been through their first year of the program, it gives me a first-hand account of what to expect this year. 

A long awaited renovation to the Cincinnati Children’s Department of Human Genetics was just completed and the genetic counseling students have a new student work area equipped with our own personal computers and desks. This space allows us to be in proximity to the department faculty and in reach of all of the departmental resources.

Outside of class the first years have been getting together to explore the city.  We’ve gone to baseball games, checked out farmers markets and enjoyed concerts downtown. 

-Kate Heraty

Genetic Counseling Graduate Student, Class of 2014
University of Cincinnati Genetic Counseling Program

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

We are in the middle of spring quarter and the GCP is buzzing with excitement here at Cincinnati and CCHMC.  Us first years are working on our thesis projects and getting ready for IRB submission within the next few months.  The second years are getting interviews, landing jobs, and looking forward to graduation in just a few short weeks.  Classes are in full swing, and first years are anxiously waiting as our summer rotations will begin when classes end.  As part of one of our classes, Introduction to Genetic Counseling, we are putting in time at either Easter Seals or Starfire Counsel of Greater Cincinnati to experience different types of community outreach and programs for individuals with developmental disorders.  I am putting in my hours at Starfire and I have to say it is an incredible experience thus far.  I baked cookies and brownies for local firefighters to thank the firefighters for all of their hard work with three Starfire Members.  I also got to do some great craft projects and visit the Asian Culture Festival at the Cincinnati Museum Center.  The Culture Festival in particular was a great experience for the Members as well as me because we got to learn a lot of great tidbits while really getting out into the Cincinnati community.   These have all been valuable experiences for me as the individuals over at Starfire have showed me glimpses into their lives such as where they go to school, where they work, where they live, and what they enjoy doing in their free time.  I get the incredible opportunity to work closely with the Starfire members, and they have taught me a lot.Leslie, one of my second years, wrote a previous post on how ipads have changed interactions and communication for individuals who previously struggled with communicating due to various genetic conditions.  I had a similar experience at a Starfire craft afternoon, and I really wanted to share it. 

Everyone has a cellphone now.  Whether it is a smartphone to check e-mails or just a basic texting phone, we all can’t live without it as our communication to friends, parents, and others would be limited.  Well, three girls with whom I was making spring wreaths with showed me that they needed a cell phone to not just have friendly conversations, but any conversations at all.  Due to various reasons or conditions, these three girls are deaf.  One had cochlear implants and could translate for the other two, but in instances where they forgot how to finger spell a word or their home signs conflicted, they texted their thoughts out on their large-screened cell phone to each other and to me.  I was amazed as I have only used my cell phone as a way to keep in contact with my long-distance relationships, to check e-maiIs, and occasionally as a calorie tracker when I am particularly motivated.  I walked into the group feeling like an outsider because it had been 4 years since I’ve had an ASL class to knowing these girls and having a great relationship with them.  Thank you texting!!  I will admit before this experience texting was obnoxious to me and I couldn’t see the reason why people don’t just call each other for answers or to chat.  While I still am the rare person who prefers phone calls to texting on my phone, this Starfire experience really opened my eyes to what we see as a mundane comfort can really be critical in communication for others.  Instead of not getting your needs accomplished due to conflicting sign understandings, or not remembering the exact ASL for a thought, you can just text out what you want to say and thus communicate with medical professionals, order lunch, or even just have conversation over a Saturday afternoon arts and crafts session.  Experiences like these really allow me to see different utilities for technology.  So, like Leslie had mentioned previously, although this wasn’t the point of texting when it first became a standard in life, we can all now take a step back and realize that for some individuals texting has really improved their quality of life.  How great is that? 

-Amy Gladstone, First Year Student

Reminicing on the Past Year

Interview season is quickly approaching, and soon the Division of Human Genetics will be holding interviews with prospective students.  As a current student, I will be taking applicants on tours around the Division and throughout Children’s Hospital.  I find it hard to believe that I will be a tour guide, because it seems like just yesterday that I was still figuring out the labyrinth that is the hospital.  Come to think of it, it seems like I was just interviewing here as a prospective student.  As I reminisce about my interview experience, I marvel at everything that I’ve learned and accomplished since coming to the program one year ago.  The University of Cincinnati Genetic Counseling Program has given me the opportunity to accomplish goals that I never expected to achieve in such a short time.

First, I already have already selected a thesis project to work on with the help of my research advisor and research advisory committee.   I will survey clinical geneticists and genetic counselors to learn about the future of the ever-evolving genetic counseling field as well as the additional training that changes in the profession will necessitate.  I plan to ask respondents to identify the emerging content and skill areas in the field of genetic counseling, as well as to select the best method of incorporating emerging areas into training for genetic counselors.  I’m excited about my thesis because I feel that it will make a significant contribution to the genetic counseling field.   My first year classmates are equally as excited about starting their projects, which focus on everything from determining the needs of parents who adopt children with genetic conditions to learning about the accuracy of risk assessments provided by direct-to-consumer testing companies. 

In addition, I’m already starting to actively participate in clinic.  I have gained experience taking medical histories, drawing pedigrees, and explaining inheritance and recurrence risks to patients.  Some of my first year classmates have even led entire counseling sessions already!  We have seen a wide variety of conditions, some of which we may never see again in our practice because they’re so rare.  The Craniofacial Center, the Cardiovascular Genetics Program, and the Skeletal Dysplasia Center at Children’s Hospital are only a few of the unique clinics in which we have observed patients and taken on roles.  My classmates and I are excited to have the opportunity to become involved in clinic early on in our schooling. 

Lastly, I’m grateful to say that since beginning the program, I have made 25 new friends (11 full-time first year students, not including myself, 12 full-time second year students, and 2 part-time students).  I’m eager to come into school every morning to spend time with my classmates, and I don’t mind studying because there are always people in the Division to encourage me.  One of my favorite aspects of the genetic counseling program here is the strong sense of community that it fosters.  The students not only help each other with school work, but support one another on a personal level.  We’ve grown tremendously close over the past few months, and have developed friendships that will likely last a lifetime. 

As a side note, I’ve also mastered an unbelievable amount of medical terminology since beginning the program.   Words like hepatosplenomegaly simply roll of the tongue now.  Reflecting on everything that I’ve learned since I interviewed here a year ago, I’ve come to realize how lucky I am to be a student at the University of Cincinnati. 

-Maureen Osak, First Year Student

Program Events

We are now half way through our winter quarter and things are getting busy.  Second years are applying for graduation and finishing up with their thesis.  First years are starting to define thesis projects and are taking on roles in clinic.  Also, we are getting so excited to participate in another year of interviews for next year’s class of 2014.  In just a few short weeks the process will start and we are very excited to make the interviewees feel welcome and provide a great experience here at CCHMC.  In addition to interviews, the genetic counseling program is having two exciting new events coming up this summer. 

                First, DNA Sample Day: An Introduction to the Field of Genetic Counseling is being held from 8am to 3pm on June 15,2012.  This program is geared towards those interested in learning more about the genetic counseling profession, but due to location or lack of opportunity, some are not able to get exposed to what a genetic counselor does.  Members of the profession as well as the program will be there, and there is more information on the program website at: http://geneticcounseling4u.org/prospective_students/DNA%20Sample.html

Another exciting event coming up is the University of Cincinnati Genetic Counseling Program’s 30^th Anniversary!  Events will be held June 15^th and 16^th 2012.  Events such as a celebration dinner and events around University of Cincinnati and the city will be held.  More information can be found out about this as well on the program website. 

So, the program is staying busy and has an exciting few months coming up!  Stay posted for more updates. 

- Amy Gladstone, First Year Student

First Quarter Wrap-up

With our first quarter wrapping up and winter rolling in, it has been a very busy few weeks for us at the UC/CCHMC Genetic Counseling program.  With the unseasonably warm weather, it has been a challenge for us to start buckling down and studying for our finals next week.  The second years came back from the NSGC conference in San Diego and we were all very jealous.  It sounds like they had a blast at the conference and I can’t wait to go next year.  It is nice to look forward to three weeks without Molecular Genetics exams, lectures, or all of our other time commitments in a busy schedule with winter break coming up.  It hasn’t been all work though, we have still found time to get together to have a Thanksgiving feast with our classmates, tried many local eateries together, and have had volunteer activities such as PROM and VCFS support group.  It has so far been a very rewarding experience and it is shaping up to be a wonderful end to 2011. 

As a first year, I also started clinic rotations since my last blog post.  All of us first years are in an observational rotation with various clinics.  I am in general pediatrics right now and have learned so much from just observing a genetic counselor for a few cases a week, as well as figuring out case prep, EPIC, and case summaries.  It is just as exciting as I thought it would be, and I think everyone else in the year agrees.  I am learning more than I had hoped about specific disorders, and have seen a few really interesting cases.  We are getting more into role plays in class with IGC , and this helps with clinic too as we are practicing empathy, contracting, and medical intakes.  I am looking forward to lysosomal storage disorder clinic next quarter, as that will bring on a whole new set of genetic conditions for me to learn about, as well as taking on a role or two.  Yikes!

Recently we first years have gotten our thesis matches which we will be spending the next year and a half on.  There were many interesting topics, such as exomic sequencing, personalized medicine, and a study looking at direct-to-consumer testing.  I received my match on looking at adoptive parents with children who have DMD and their experiences.  I am so excited to get started, and I know a lot of the other first years are as well. 

I am hoping to make a more specific post about things we have learned such as exomic sequencing, course work, and other program happenings over winter break, so stay tuned! : )

Posted by Amy Gladstone, First Year Student

Hello from the Class of 2013!

     After about a month of being in the Genetic Counseling Program here at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, we have learned a lot of lessons, both inside the program and out.  With roughly half of us moving to Ohio for the program, we have settled down and are adjusting to life in Cincinnati as well as life in the program.  We come from all over, with five of us from Ohio, two of us from Michigan, and North Carolina, California, Georgia, Washington, Virginia and Kenya are represented as well.  Coming from Michigan personally, I didn’t expect much of a change as Ohio is still the mid-west, and I thought I would not have much of an adjustment to make since Cincinnati is roughly the size of Detroit.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Cincinnati, although not technically the south in my definition, has the comforting southern mentality, southern accents, and everyone is so nice and friendly unlike in the Detroit area.  Maureen, a fellow first year and Michigander, commented too that not only was the climate definitely more southern, but that the weather was much more southern too.  “First, it’s significantly more warm and humid in Cincinnati than it is in Troy.  I remember coming down here for my interview in the winter and experiencing spring-like weather.  No complaints there!”  We are currently experiencing low 80’s to mid 70’s in temperature in October.  This is unheard of in Michigan, but a very welcome change, especially with impending Molecular Genetics and Human Genetics exams coming up.  We also noticed that Cincinnati is a mixture of different subcultures and neighborhoods."  I thought that the size of the city would be overwhelming, but I’ve found it to be quite manageable.  Cincinnati is divided into smaller communities, with each offering something different.  I live in Hyde Park, a safe and picturesque area with a quaint downtown,” stated Maureen.  I live in Westwood, on the other hand, which is the opposite side of Cincinnati, and a very different neighborhood as well.  There is no central down town, but there are strip malls, many grocery stores and convenient eateries, and it is a bit more urban than Hyde Park.  There are really different locations within Cincinnati to suit every lifestyle.  Bette, our program coordinator, really helped with this process, and could let us know where anything and everything was located that we may need, both inside the program and in Cincinnati in general.   Overall I would say that we have all been settling in nicely and made the quick adjustment to starting school again.  We bonded during the Team-building day with our second years, had a really nice mentor-mentee picnic, and had a really good experience with moving and meeting everyone in the program.  On the scholastic front, we had the Human Genetics Refresher Course to gear us up for the start of the program, along with orientation.  I would say that as first years, although we are getting into the thick of the quarter, we are really enjoying our time here, and can’t wait to see what the next page for us is here in Cincinnati.  Maureen summed it up by saying “Overall, I’ve loved my experience in Cincinnati so far.  I look forward to continuing my exploration of the city and discovering everything that makes it unique!” 

-Amy Gladstone, 1st year student

Class of 2013

We would like to congratulate the newest class of the University of Cincinnati Genetic Counseling Program! We are so excited for you to join us, Class of '13!

Check out student bios here: http://geneticcounseling4u.org/about/students.html

Now that the interview process is over, second years are finishing up their theses and first years are prepping for their intensive reasearch rotation, as well as summer rotations! Students will be placed in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus OH; Charlotte, NC; Las Vegas, NV; Atlanta, GA; and Nashville, TN! We will hopefully have some students blog while they are on their summer rotations!

More posts to come about Spring quarter, and the graduation of the second years!



Posted by Leslie Gress, First year student

Winter conference, Spring baseball

It has been a very busy time in the GCP! We have been putting lots of energy into our interview season! First years had a very busy winter quarter, and second years are wrapping up their thesis projects. It's hard to believe that in only 8 weeks, the year will be over!

In March, a few of the first years volunteered for a BRCA conference for those in the community that have a mutation and may have had breast cancer. It was an awesome day organized by fellow GCs at Children's and St. Elizabeth Hospital sponsored by Check Your Genes. There were several speakers that came to talk to attendees including surgeons, radiologists, survivors, and of course - genetic counselors. There were also breakout sessions where people could learn more about BRCA, discuss telling their families about their mutation, understand how this may change sexuality, etc.  It was a very long day, but it was SO interesting to be around our potential patients in Cancer Clinic all day and hear all the information they had to give. In thinking about all the doctors that were there, it was interesting to also hear about all the other members of the medical community that GCs need to work with to truly understand the impact of BRCA mutations on our patients.

 

Although it's been a busy few weeks, it hasn't been ALL work. The baseball season started and some of us girls headed to see the Cincinnati Reds on opening night to help donate to the Fetal Care Center at CCHMC.  It was a beautiful evening and there were fireworks after! Luckily the Reds won. It's so fun to be able to enjoy each other's company outside of school and to be able to keep discovering Cincinnati together. There were a total of 10 of us at the game - and I'm sure we'll be going to a few more before we all leave for our summer rotations!

Speaking of summer rotations, some of the first years have nailed down where they will be! We will be heading to Charlotte (NC), Las Vegas, Cleveland, Washington DC, Denver, Newfoundland (Canada), Atlanta, and three will be heading to Nashville! Almost everyone has the details smoothed out, and are rotating in prenatal and/or cancer rotations. We are all very excited for our summer sites!

The second years are also very excited as they are beginning to get jobs! One has a cancer job in Atlanta, one establishing genetic counseling in Illinois, one in Kentucky -- and several more are within the last stages of interviews! It is a very exciting time for the program & my classmates.

It is my effort to keep this more up-to-date this quarter prior to heading to summer rotations! We are very excited to welcome a new class here in a few weeks, and I am sure all of the details will be posted in short time. As a first year, it is hard to imagine that only a year ago, we were all interviewing. We've learned SO much since then - in classes, clinic, with our thesis. It is mind-boggling to think that this time next year, we will almost be graduates! We couldn't be more excited to enter the GC field :)



Posted by Leslie Gress, First Year Student

Volunteering & VCFS!

I know it has been awhile since something has been posted - winter quarter surely is a busy one for the GCP! While I take the time to write some blog posts about that, check out this awesome experience a first year, Laura, had at a VCFS community day!


A few weekends ago, we were able to take advantage of a fantastic opportunity to volunteer with the Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome (VCFS) support group for the afternoon. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center put together a support group for the parents and families of children with VCFS. While the parents were listening to lecturers, some of the GCP girls were able to play with their children.

Until a few weeks ago I had never heard of VCFS or worked with a child who had VCFS so this was a great opportunity for me to hang out and get to know some of our VCFS patient population. VCFS is a genetic condition that can affect the palate, heart, and face. Children with VCFS can have a cleft palate, heart defects, minor learning problems and delays, speech problems, hearing loss, behavioral problems or mood swings, and feeding problems. This syndrome is variable and every patient doesn’t have all of these features.

While we were off pretending like we were kids again with the patients and their siblings in the backrooms of the church, the parents were listening to presentations  on VCFS and the VCFS clinic given by our geneticists and genetic counselors. Dr. Hopkin presented ‘What’s in a Name?’, which described the reasoning behind the nomenclature for VCFS (velum for palate, cardia for the heart, and facies for the face). Dr. Saal talked about the role of the VCFS clinic at CCHMC and the hopes and future plans for the clinic and its staff.

There were six first year and one second year students who decided to spend their Saturday morning volunteering. When we arrived at Vineyards Church on the north side of Cincinnati, we set up the lecture room for the parents. We were able to provide the children and their families a delicious breakfast and then play time began. We set up four separate rooms for the children and young adults to hang out in. We had a teen room, an arts and crafts room, a movie room, and a play/toy room.  In the arts and crafts room we made Valentine’s Day cards - one of the little girls even made me one :)  The toy room was a blast! We had building blocks, mini golf sets, bowling sets, and dolls for the kids to play with. The biggest hit of the afternoon was the balloons. We had one big game of ‘don’t let the balloon hit the ground’ which was a huge success. We even had our doctors involved - Dr. Hopkin rocks at making paper airplanes. After play time (and learning time for the adults), we all got back together to mingle and enjoy lunch.

I must say the VCFS volunteering opportunity was one of the highlights of my quarter so far! The kids were awesome and they gave me a chance to let loose and refine by coloring/Play –doh skills. I can’t wait for the next opportunity to work with this patient population!

-- Laura Fairbrother, First year Student