Summer Updates from the Board of Directors!

SCGC 2024 Elections

Be part of the exciting world of the SCGC Board of Directors! Help lead this

vibrant group of over 300 genetic counselors.

You will be receiving a call for nominations in the next week. Please

nominate a colleague or yourself for one of the SCGC open positions. All full members are eligible. Details to follow.

Executive Officer

President-Elect (3-year term)

Board at Large Directors

Education Chair (2-year term)

DEI Chair (2-year term)

Continuing members of the BOD include:

Joan Oliver - Incoming President

Stacey Wong - Past-President

Hilary Kershberg - Secretary

Lauren Siems - Treasurer

Naomi Wagner - Membership

Annina Cooper - Marketing

Paloma Boeck and Nicole Choy - Community Outreach and Engagement

Thank you,

SCGC 2024 Nominating Committee: Emily Parkhurst, Taylor Berninger, Cathi Franklin, Naomi Wagner (SCGC Membership Chair), and Michelle Fox (Nominating Committee Chair)

San Diego Social Event

Please join us for a SCGC social in San Diego on Tuesday, August 22nd from 6-8pm at Ballast Point Brewing Miramar (9045 Carroll Way). This is a casual get-together for SCGC members. Note: We will meet on the patio outside, and people can opt to purchase their own food/drinks as desired. Stay tuned for upcoming events in Orange County & LA!

Community Outreach Committee

We are currently in the process of planning our New Speaker Orientation ahead of the 2023-2024 school year. SCGC’s Community Outreach committee is collaborating with the Genetic Counseling Prospective Student Network (GCPSN) to engage various community college student groups and high schools throughout SoCal by organizing talks with these groups to introduce them to the field and answer any questions they may have. Our New Speaker Orientation is planned for August 2023.

We are asking that previous speakers and newly interested speakers please sign up through our Speaker Interest Form to be contacted for New Speaker Orientation.

If you are interested in volunteering with the Community Outreach Committee in a different capacity (i.e. genetics legislation, etc.), please email Nicole Choy (nicole.x.choy@kp.org) or Paloma Boeck (boeckpaloma1@gmail.com).

Webinar Series

The final webinar sessions for the 2023 series will be airing in August and September. See updated details below! As a reminder, SCGC members are able to claim CEUs for any webinars that they attend live if they complete the evaluation within two weeks and pay the fees. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for more information about paying the fees to claim your CEUs!

July's session was rescheduled to 8/8/2023 at 12pm PT: Genomics and Precision Medicine Policy: Why Genetic Counselors Should Engage in Advocacy with Jennifer Leib, MS, CGC.

8/23/2023 at 12pm PT: The Importance of Multi-Institutional Collaborative Research Among Genetic Counselors; Lessons from NTHL1-Tumor Syndrome Case Studies with Chelsey Weatherill, MS, CGC.

9/7/2023 at 12pm PT: Harnessing the Power of Cultural Competency for Actionable Change, a DEI workshop with Alberto Morales (Morales Consulting) and Jamila White (blakQuity).

Happy Pride! Resources to support our LGBTQ+ community

June is widely celebrated by the LGBTQ+ community as it marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in New York 1969. However, this month is set against a backdrop of numerous anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans legislation being pursued across the country, many of which jeopardize the health and safety of this community. While the goal is to eliminate systemic barriers in healthcare, these oppressive laws only increase inequities in this community. Our local communities are no strangers to prejudice, and in some cases, violence, against the LGBTQ+ community. It is undeniable that the socio-political status of our country has created a hostile environment for many of our colleagues and patients.

SCGC stands in solidarity with NSGC and condemns harmful anti-LGBTQ+ legislation as they are oppressive and inequitable. We are committed to supporting our colleagues and patients in the LGBTQ+ community as they deserve equal access to safe, quality, and gender-affirming healthcare. In an effort to continue to learn and better support the LGBTQ+ community, we have compiled a list of local and national organizations, readings, and other educational materials. We hope that you will stand with us in our commitment to the safety and well-being of our friends, family, and patients in the LGBTQ+ community.

Resources

Local Organizations:

LGBTQ Center Orange County (lgbtqcenteroc.org)

Los Angeles LGBT Center (lalgbtcenter.org)

The San Diego LGBT Community Center (thecentersd.org)

National/Online Resources:

The Trevor Project | For Young LGBTQ Lives - The Trevor Project provides online counseling services via online chat, phone, or by text

Home - Trans Lifeline - Transgender support organization run by trans people to support the trans community. They provide resources as well as peer-to-peer counseling services and connections to community and resources.

GLAAD - National non-profit focused on LGBTQ+ advocacy and cultural change. They also have an extensive list of outside organizations and resources for the LGBTQ+ community on their LGBTQ Resource List.

UCSF’s Center of Excellence for Transgender Health - provides training, education, research and other educational opportunities to improve and advance the care of transgender and gender diverse individuals.

ACLU Map- Mapping attacks on LGBTQ+ of anti trans legislation rights in U.S. legislators.

Genetic Counseling related publications:

A qualitative study exploring LGBTQ genetic counseling students' relationships with peers and faculty in graduate school - Chu - Journal of Genetic Counseling PMID: 37222227

Disclosure and comfort during genetic counseling sessions with LGBTQ+ patients: An updated assessment - Valentine - Journal of Genetic Counseling PMID: 36840411

Trans‐inclusive genetic counseling services: Recommendations from members of the transgender and non‐binary community - Barnes - 2020 - Journal of Genetic Counseling PMID: 31710150

Considerations in genetic counseling of transgender patients: Cultural competencies and altered disease risk profiles - Vaupel‐Klein - 2021 - Journal of Genetic Counseling PMID: 33368789

Practice resource‐focused revision: Standardized pedigree nomenclature update centered on sex and gender inclusivity: A practice resource of the National Society of Genetic Counselors PMID: 36106433

The erasure of transgender and intersex identities through fetal sex prediction and genetic essentialism PMID: 37306043

Blogs:

Queer Erasure in Standards of Professionalism (nsgc.org)

On Depathologizing Intersex and Transgender Identities (nsgc.org)

Videos:

"Empowering Our Queer Colleagues" Community Conversation Presented by the NSGC Membership Committee - YouTube

Spring Updates from the SCGC Board of Directors

6th Annual Education Conference

The 2023 AEC is fast approaching! Please join us on Friday, May 19, 2023 at the Hilton Orange County in Costa Mesa, CA (or join live via Zoom). Registration closes Wednesday, May 10, 2023. No day-of registration available.

Update on SCGC Bylaws

The SCGC Bylaws committee is updating our bylaws. After ratification by the Board of Directors, the updated bylaws will be posted on the website. Thanks to committee members Michelle Fox, Stacey Wong, Joan Oliver, and Bill Herbert.

Reminders from the Secretary’s Desk

Please remember to update your contact information on the SCGC website! You can find your contact information by clicking on the down arrow to the right of your name at the top right corner of the home page (when logged in). Click “My Account” to view and update your profile information. With many job changes happening, your contact may need updating (note: you cannot change your Login email, but you can change your preferred contact email, backup email, and all other profile information). Updating your location will also help us to plan local events!

Do you know what the Forum is?

The Forum is SCGC’s online discussion group, where you can post, read, and subscribe to discussions regarding job opportunities, shared resources, and SCGC announcements. Members can post to the forum directly. You can look for or post job listings, spread the word on research opportunities, and find out what’s new and exciting in the world of Southern California Genetics.

Webinar Series

Our monthly webinar series is officially up and running! SCGC members who attend the webinar session live are eligible for category 1 CEUs. Please visit the SCGC website for details on CEUs and to register for an upcoming webinar.

• May 23, 2023 5-6 PM: Disability Inclusivity with Ronit Ovadia Mazzoni & Laura Fuerstman

• June 21, 2023 5-6 PM: Rotations in Industry with Elaine Weltmer, Whitney A. Dodge, Halle Bartus, Naghmeh Dorrani, Natalie Samson, Natasha A. Go, and Andrea Chang

• July 25, 2023 12-1 PM: Advocacy/Legislature with Jennifer Leib

• August 23, 2023 12-1 PM: The Importance of Multi-Institutional Collaborative Research Among Genetic Counselors; Lessons from NTHL1-Tumor Syndrome Case Studies with Chelsey Weatherill

• September TBD: Implicit Bias Workshop

*All times are listed in Pacific Time