麻豆原创

The graduate program in Genetic Counselling is located in the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Genetics (CMMG) on the School of Medicine campus. Genetic counsellors are medical professionals who help people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. This is achieved through the following: procuring and interpreting family and medical histories to assess the chance of disease occurrence or recurrence; educating about inheritance, testing, management, resources, and research; and providing counselling to promote informed decision-making and adaptation to genetic disease or risk. The practice of genetic counselling requires comprehensive knowledge of human and medical genetics, including genetic and genomic testing, in combination with an appreciation for the psychosocial, ethical, and social issues associated with genetic disorders. It also requires strong critical thinking, psychosocial assessment, and interpersonal communication skills. Genetic counsellors generally work as part of a health care team in a variety of clinical settings such as paediatric genetics, reproductive genetics, cancer genetics, inherited metabolic disorders/new-born screening, cardiovascular genetics, and neurogenetics. Genetic counsellors also work in many other settings including clinical laboratories, public health departments, universities, advocacy organizations, and public policy organizations. Genetic counselling services may be provided in person, by telemedicine (video-conferencing) or by telephone. In addition to providing genetic counselling services to patients, genetic counsellors may have roles in research, genetic/genomic testing, sales and marketing, leadership, advocacy, public policy, and/or education.

The graduate program in genetic counselling is designed to prepare students with the appropriate knowledge base and practical experience to function competently as genetic counsellors in a wide array of settings. The curriculum consists of course work in molecular biology, human and medical genetics, embryology, epidemiology, research methods and statistics, the principles, theory, and practice of genetic counselling, ethics, cultural competency, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, counselling, and interpersonal communication. In addition, students gain practical experience by doing supervised clinical internships in a broad range of genetics and specialty clinics as well as clinical genetics laboratories. Students are also required to conduct a research project on a relevant clinical or professional topic (modified Plan B). This program is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Genetic Counselling.