Dear Genetic Counselor Community,
I don’t know about you, but I am still basking in a warm glow left by our immersive and engaging virtual 40th Annual Conference! Meaningful educational sessions, invigorating hallway discussions and thoughtful conversations throughout the chats made this year’s conference truly special, with a higher degree of inclusion than we have achieved in the past. With so much content and excitement being delivered to us all at once, I wanted to devote this month’s Advocate message to an ICYMI Top Ten list! In no particular order, here are ten not-to-miss activities and initiatives that are paramount to our community!
NSGC 2022-2024 Strategic Plan: With four pillars of Growth and Sustainability, J.E.D.I., Professional Excellence and Communities, this is the society’s strategic vision for the next three years. Check it out here.
Update from Reproductive Freedom, Access and Justice Task Force: This issue of the Advocate newsletter features an update on task force activities and highlights the Genuine Collective website as a resource for genetic counselors.
Business Case Summit White Paper: Our first business case summit culminated in the publication of a white paper that details successful business strategies that you can adopt, develop and facilitate to promote greater hiring and retention of genetic counselors in your practice.
Open Comment Period Summary Report: At the conclusion of the open comment period on the Exeter Group’s DEI Assessment Report and Recommendations, the J.E.D.I. Committee developed a report summarizing the comments and feedback. The Board utilized this summary as well as the Exeter Group’s report in formulating our new strategic plan.
Update from the Advocacy Coordinating Committee: The committee has been working hard to facilitate our grassroots efforts and garner additional co-sponsors for our bills, but they need your help! Learn more about their efforts and how you can participate here.
Black in Genetics Week: October 4-8th was Black in Genetics week on Twitter, and it was a fantastic celebration of our Black colleagues in genetics! Even if you’re not on Twitter, you can Google #BIGxWeek to view the posts and activity. I recommend checking out #BIGxStory as well.
2021 Genetic Counselor Awareness Day: Fast approaching on Thursday, November 4, Genetic Counselor Awareness Day is a day to recognize and celebrate genetic counselors and all the impactful work that we do. Highlight and tell others about genetic counselors who are active in your community, post flyers at your workplace and participate in a fun day of activities on social media. (Trivia, anyone?) All the info and resources are here.
NSGC Annual Business Meeting: Also coming around the bend on Wednesday, Dec. 8 is our NSGC Annual Business Meeting where we will share a year-end summary of our society’s strategic, operational and financial activity and outcomes. Register here.
Call for Volunteers: Being a volunteer in NSGC means meeting new colleagues, developing new skills, gaining leadership experience and contributing to the profession’s strategic initiatives. It’s not too late to sign up if you haven’t already, but act fast – the extended deadline is TODAY, Oct. 15. Interested in a volunteer role that includes selecting our future leaders? Apply to serve as a Member-at-Large on the 2022 Nominating Committee. The deadline has been extended to Oct. 29!
Annual Conference Recordings: This ICYMI Top Ten list wouldn’t be complete without a reminder that you can catch all those conference sessions you missed until Nov. 30 here. Didn’t attend the virtual conference and experiencing FOMO? You can still register and absorb all that fantastic online content here.
That’s it, that's your ICYMI Top Ten! Click, share, engage and celebrate all the work and accomplishments of our active and vibrant genetic counselor community.
With appreciation,
Sara
Sara Riordan, MS, CGC is the president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors’ Board of Directors. Riordan’s 16-year genetic counseling career has spanned both academia and industry in the specialties of precision medicine, oncology, consumer genomics, and molecular diagnostics.