The Genetics Opportunities, Learning, Development and Empowerment Network (GOLDEN) was founded in 2020, the culmination of many years of discussion between us (Barbara and Grace). Since we met over 20 years ago, we have shared a passion for wanting there to be more Black genetic counselors in our field, with a goal of overall greater diversity in our profession. We understood that increased representation has a ripple effect: Shared cultural and ethnic background between patients and clinical providers has a positive impact on addressing health disparities experienced by traditionally underserved and exploited communities. Health care providers and researchers generally have increased interest in solving issues that address their communities. And the motivating power on younger generations of seeing someone else who looks like them excelling in a field can influence career choices.

The goals of GOLDEN include raising awareness of genetic counseling as a career option, building a community of support around and among prospective students, providing enriching experiences and resources to assist current applicants and increasing networking opportunities with Black genetic counselors (GC) and others in the field. 

We have had the benefit of expanding our GC leadership team to meet these goals, including Tifany Lewis, who helped us develop our strategy, and currently, Erica Price, who leads our social media efforts and Tatiana Garrison Johnson, who leads our outreach to college students, focusing on the invaluable network of historically Black colleges and universities.

GOLDEN has utilized both in-person and virtual presentations to introduce the field of genetic counseling to countless high school, college and post-baccalaureate students. NSGC has helped to spread the word about GOLDEN by distributing our flyers at their exhibitor hall booths of the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists and the American School Counselor Association Conference. GOLDEN also uses social media outlets like LinkedIn, Instagram, X and TikTok to provide insight into the work and accomplishments of practicing genetic counselors. GOLDEN-branded videos featuring Black genetic counselors speaking about their experiences are available for viewing and can augment, or at times replace, informational interviews that are challenging for some applicants to obtain due to lack of access or time.

With the critical financial support of the New York Mid-Atlantic Caribbean Regional Genetics Network, GOLDEN started accepting mentees at the beginning of 2021. GOLDEN currently has 180 mentees who are in various stages of their journey to becoming a genetic counselor. Each year there is a cohort of about 20 mentees who are actively preparing to submit applications to genetic counseling training programs (GCTP). For these cohorts, GOLDEN ramps up mentoring support because of the highly competitive application and acceptance process for GCTP, and some components are uniquely different from other graduate programs. When seeking higher education, individuals from communities impacted by systemic racism often face additional barriers such as low awareness of career options, financial constraints, inadequate access to professional networks and sociocultural isolation. GOLDEN has implemented activities to address these challenges and optimize experiences of Black prospective GCs throughout the process of becoming a genetic counselor. For instance, GOLDEN utilizes its online platforms and email blasts to mentees to increase awareness of opportunities to explore the profession such as job shadowing placements, genetic counseling assistant openings, scholarship programs, volunteer advocacy positions, webinars and podcasts.

To reduce sociocultural isolation from the entry stages of pursuing the profession, at the heart of GOLDEN’s community-building efforts are virtual group mentoring events, which happen monthly throughout most of the year. These meetings with mentees are held to foster the feeling of belonging while providing education about the field and encouraging persistence when faced with setbacks. Virtual mentoring events include informal social meetings as well as meetings focused on clinical genetics education through discussions about hot topics in GC and case presentations. There are also meetings for mentees to get their questions answered by a panel of genetic counseling students who have fresh insights into the application process and GC student life. In the spirit of the mantra “representation matters," most virtual events are led by Black GCs and GC students. Additional support services for GOLDEN mentees include interview practice and no-cost access to a professional writing tutor to review personal statements for applications, as well as resumes and cover letters for internships and other documents.

There are 50 alumni of GOLDEN who began as mentees and are currently GC students or GCs, many of whom are paying it forward as mentors. Since its inception, GOLDEN has consistently sought out the needs of our mentees and alumni through formal evaluation mechanisms and adjusted appropriately. For example, from the first alumni cohort, it became clear that GOLDEN’s support should not end on Match Day. In response to this feedback, GOLDEN began holding support groups for Black GC students, facilitated by a mental health professional. Support groups for these students are currently coordinated by the Black Genetic Counseling Student Association.

With the generous involvement and support of the Black GC community, GOLDEN has successfully implemented activities to increase awareness of GC and provide mentoring support to aspiring Black genetic counselors that continues to have a lasting impact.

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