The NSGC 2025-2027 Strategic Plan has three pillars and one of them is “Advance the role and recognition of genetic counselors as genomic experts.” One of the objectives of this goal is to amplify genetic counselor visibility and national influence. Sounds great, right? Let’s go!
But, how do we actually do this? It isn’t entirely within our control and we need to be thoughtful and efficient with our resources. One way to tackle this is through coalition-building - NSGC is doing this on my behalf and on yours. It is another example of something that only a professional association can do. Here are three examples:
Federal Advocacy
In addition to investing in top-notch lobbying support, NSGC has enlisted the support of hundreds of organizations to endorse the Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act. The current list includes 261 organizations, including universities, biopharma companies, diagnostic laboratories, patient advocacy organizations, and healthcare systems. In addition, individuals can endorse the effort through action alerts sent to their members of Congress. There are action alerts for Genetic Counselors, for non-GC clinicians, for patients, and for researchers. Having voices other than genetic counselors advocating for access to the services of genetic counselors is really powerful. Some notable endorsers include the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Kidney Fund, the American Society of Human Genetics, the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC), EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases (ELF), the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). Check to see if your employer is on the list of organizations!
Workforce Issues
In 2025, H.R.1 (aka the One Big Beautiful Bill Act or OBBB) changed limits on federal loans for graduate programs leading to professional degrees. OBBB establishes a three-part test for the definition of the “professional degree.”
- The degree must signify completion of the academic requirements for beginning practice in a given profession
- The profession must require skill(s) that students who only have a bachelor’s degree (or training below a bachelor’s degree level) would not normally have
- The profession a graduate would enter generally requires professional licensure
Here’s why this matters: To implement these changes the Department of Education issued the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) notice of proposed rulemaking with the details impacting the definition of what is included as a “professional degree”. The proposal says a “Professional Student” is a student enrolled in a program of study that awards a professional degree meeting specified criteria, including doctoral-level education of at least six academic years, professional licensure requirements, and specified Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) codes. The proposal identifies specific professional fields, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, law, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, theology, chiropractic, and clinical psychology.
It is clear that genetic counseling fits all three parts of the test described in the OBBB and yet would not be included based on the description in the proposed rule-making. This would have a severe impact on our future genetic counseling students by limiting federal loan limits to $20,000/year. At its core, this is about who can afford to enter our profession, and whether we can continue to build a workforce that reflects the patients we serve, so we took action.
Genetic counselors are not the only professionals affected by this proposed rule and in order to influence the finalization of this rule NSGC has joined the Advanced Professional Workforce Alliance (APWA). The alliance acts as a united voice for health professional organizations to influence workforce policy, with a focus on education and training initiatives. The Genetic Counselor Educators Association (GCEA) is also a member. Additional members include the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, the American Physical Therapy Association, the American Occupational Therapy Association, and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
Reproductive Health
Many genetic counselors support patients in their reproductive journey from fertility support through prenatal evaluations and future family planning support. We have a position statement on Access to Reproductive Healthcare (last reaffirmed in 2025). We know in order to best support our patients we need partners. In 2024 NSGC joined the Clinician Abortion & Reproductive Health Access (CARA) Taskforce, administered by the Society of Maternal & Fetal Medicine (SMFM). The CARA Taskforce is an informal coalition of clinician organizations with a shared goal of protecting and expanding access to reproductive healthcare services. This coalition is focused on monitoring of reproductive rights legislation and policy, dissemination of information to the members and patients of the participating organizations, and advocacy around topics of mutual concern. An example of this advocacy is an August 2024 Joint Statement from Medical Experts on the Recent U.S. Supreme Court Decisions Regarding EMTALA and Mifepristone. Other notable members of CARA include the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).
Delivering Genomic Healthcare is Not a Solo Sport
We are a growing field, and while we are smaller than many specialties, we are not small in impact. By building strong coalitions and using our resources thoughtfully, we can shape how genomic healthcare is delivered in the United States and beyond. This work not only elevates the visibility and influence of genetic counselors, it also directly expands patient access to the care we know they need. Your membership in NSGC directly enables this work on your (and my) behalf. Let’s go!!