Arcadia University’s Genetic Counseling program will be well represented at the National Society of Genetic Counselors Annual Educational Conference in Boston, Mass., Oct. 24-27.

Dr. Laura Conway, Assistant Program Director, Kathy Valverde, Program Director, and Rebecca Mueller ’11FSMS will give two presentations reporting the results of their National Society of Genetic Counselor’s grant studying the employability of genetic counselors with a clinical doctorate: “Investigating the Feasibility of a Clinical Doctorate for Genetic Counselors, Managerial and Institutional Support” and “Unveiling employers’ envisioned roles for clinical doctorate-level genetic counselors: a preliminary analysis.”

In addition, seven graduates from the Class of 2012 will present their thesis projects. Stacey Rickard‘s project, “Orthopedic Manifestations and Implications for Individuals with Costello Syndrome,” was funded by the Ellington Beavers Fund for Intellectual Inquiry. Marissa Clark‘s project, “Non-invasive Prenatal Testing: Views of Genetic Counselors and Implications for the Profession,” was funded by the National Society of Genetic Counselor’s prenatal special interest group. Samantha Everhart‘s project, “Factors Influencing Clinician Satisfaction with APOEGenotype Disclosure Counseling Sessions: The REVEAL Study,” was supported by the Leadership in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Lisa Kessler, M.S., CGC Clinical Coordinator, will present her work with Wills Eye Hospital, “Pretest Genetic Counseling for Non-hereditary cancer: Expanding Counseling Roles.”