News
Genetic Counseling Program Joins Initiative to Increase Diversity in the Field, Offers New Dual Degree with BUSPH
On this year’s Genetic Counselor Awareness Day, Boston University School of Medicine’s MS Genetic Counseling Program (BUGCP) is announcing two exciting new initiatives to continue enhancing the training and expertise within the field of genetic counseling.
For the 2021-2022 admissions cycle, BUGCP will offer enrollment in a dual degree MS MPH program with the School of Public Health, and will join the Alliance to Increase Diversity in Genetic Counseling – a scholarship and fellowship program for underrepresented students in the field.
The Alliance to Increase Diversity in Genetic Counseling
A lack of diversity in multiple dimensions is a major issue in most fields of medicine, including the field of genetic counseling. Ninety-four percent of genetic counselors are female, and 90 percent are white, according to the National Society of Genetic Counselors.
To combat this issue and educate a genetic counseling workforce that improves support for patients from underrepresented backgrounds, BUGCP has joined the Alliance to Increase Diversity in Genetic Counseling, an initiative made possible due to a generous grant from the Warren Alpert Foundation (WAF).
BUGCP is partnering with four accredited genetic counseling programs: the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Rutgers University, Sarah Lawrence College and the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
The $9.5 million grant from WAF will cover full tuition and living expenses for 10 students annually across the five participating genetic counseling programs, and provide funding to hire faculty to further support this experience.
The aim of this innovative alliance is to recruit and retain qualified trainees from diverse backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, first-generation college graduates and individuals from low-income backgrounds.
“There has never been funding of this magnitude to support trainee scholarships in this field,” said BUGCP Director Kathleen Berentsen Swenson, MS, MPH, CGC. “This support will allow the field to expand perspectives, and provide additional support for trainees receiving this award.”
Interested students should check the BUGCP admissions page for updated information on how to apply for the award.
MS/MPH Dual Degree Program
BUGCP and the BUSPH recently joined forces to create a dual degree program, allowing students to earn a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling and a Master of Public Health degree in two-and-a-half total years of study.
This newly created program is a result of a needs assessment and candidates’ interest in obtaining both a genetic counseling and public health degree. Program leaders at BU interviewed candidates to gauge their interest, and most applicants said they were either personally interested in the dual degree option or found it important.
“Understanding the intersectionality between genetic counseling and public health, as well as a desire to provide students with additional training in research, evaluation, program development and other ways to contribute more broadly to the genetic counseling field also were key factors in establishing this program,” said Swenson, who also is an assistant professor of medical sciences & education.
Many genetic counselors working today are in patient-facing capacities, and therefore need to be able to navigate the complex health care system.
“They have to be mindful of health literacy, access of care, statistics, epidemiology, research skills and more,” Swenson said. “I think the public health degree gives people a more in-depth experience in that regard and can be beneficial not only for providing care to patients but broadening genetic counselors’ scope in the field.”
Swenson said that her public health education has given her more comfort and awareness in the two overlapping fields, especially in terms of advocacy. Phil Connors, a member of the program leadership team, recently completed his MPH degree at Boston University. “The training provided by the BU School of Public Health has allowed me a new set of skills to support patient care at Boston Medical Center,” said Connors.
“We are one of only a few genetic counseling programs to offer this formal dual degree in public heath,” Swenson noted.
As the program operates on a national match system, applicants must first obtain admission to the Genetic Counseling program, and admission to the School of Public health will be coordinated afterward.
Visit MS/MPH Dual Degree Program for more information.
Amanda Bolgioni-Smith joins CTSI as Associate Director for Evaluation
Amanda Bolgioni-Smith, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Sciences & Education, is now the Associate Director for Evaluation for BU Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI). She will be working with Deborah Fournier, PhD, and Karla Damus, PhD, on advancing evaluation efforts for the CTSI. She is a biomedical PhD-trained scientist with expertise in the design, implementation, evaluation, and management of workforce development programming with graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty. She is experienced with research and evaluation methods, data analysis and dashboards, and using data to support program improvement and organizational change. She will collaborate with BU faculty to design and implement evaluation plans and facilitate use of data to work toward improved outcomes and impact of the CTSI. Her office is located on Evans 7, room 738.
Before joining the CTSI, Dr. Bolgioni-Smith was Director of Professional and Career Development in Graduate Medical Sciences, where she implemented the NIH-funded BEST Program across the medical and Charles River campuses. She earned her doctoral degree from the Department of Pharmacology, Boston University.
BU-ICM
The third session of Boston University School of Medicine's Introduction to Careers in Medicine (BU-ICM) took place this summer with 17 high-school students from local private schools throughout Massachusetts. During the week-long program, students participated in a various experiential learning activities on the medical campus to learn more about careers in medicine and to gain exposure to different aspects of health care.
The students visited the operating room (OR) at Boston Medical Center with Dr. Ken Grundfast.
They studied the anatomy of the brain with PhD students in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology.
The students also visited the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) where they did mini-experiments using ELISA techniques and creating viral structures with candy.
BAHEC and BEAMS
For the third summer, Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC) partnered with the Boston Area Health Education Center (BAHEC) to bring the summer programming of the Boston Education, Advising & Mentoring in STEM (BEAMS) Program, which provides learning experiences for Boston-area high-school students in order to offer them exposure to various careers in medicine and health care.
One new seminar course this summer was Exposure to Research, taught by Taylor Matte, a graduate student at the Center for Regenerative Medicine.
In one of the field placement programs, Exposure to Clinical Careers, students worked with a variety of clinicians and health-care workers that included surgeons, occupational therapists, genetic counselors, and dental health clinicians. Highlights included a lecture by Dr. Ann McKee and a visit to the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL).
Save the Dates for 2019-20 Educators’ Collaborative Lunch!
In a lead-up to our 15th Annual McCahan Education Day, this year’s lunch discussions and workshops will focus on the science behind learning, as well as how graduate biomedical educators can apply these evidence-based practices to their own classrooms.
We hope you'll be able to join us for our kickoff with David Flynn, MS(LIS) and Kayla Hammond Larkin, MS(LIS), who will be presenting, "Visual Abstracts: Sharing Scientific Research with Twitter-friendly Graphics"!
All meetings will be held on Tuesdays from 12:00-12:50 pm in the Dean's Conference Room (R112).
For all meeting dates, visit http://www.bumc.bu.edu/medsci/training/educators-collaborative-lunch/.
Educators’ Collaborative Lunch 2/26
Join Craig Noronha, MD, and Sonia Ananthakrishnan, MD, Assistant Professors in the Department of Medicine, over lunch for their workshop, "Improving Feedback Exchange with Colleagues, Trainees and Students," in L209 at noon.
For more information, visit here.
Educators’ Collaborative Lunch 1/22
Join Barbara M. Schreiber, PhD, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Co-PI of Boston University’s Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BU’s BEST), over lunch for her seminar, entitled, "Using Workforce Data to Guide Curriculum Development and Career Decisions" in R112 (Dean's Conference room) at noon.
For more information, visit here.
Educators’ Collaborative Lunch 11/27
Join Afaf Hourani, MS, MPH, Assistant Director of Pre-doctoral Research at the Harry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, over lunch for her seminar entitled, "Developing and Applying Self-Reflective Tool (SRT)" in R112 (Dean's Conference room) at noon.
For more information, visit here.
Welcome New Terriers!
Congratulations and welcome to our newest Terriers: Melissa Alvarado, MyChalia Sanfilippo, and Abdulmalik Tahlil!
MedSci&Edu sends best wishes for a fantastic college career to three alumni participants of Boston Education, Advising & Mentoring in STEM (BEAMS), the joint program between BUSM and Boston Area Health Education Center (BAHEC) that provides opportunities to high school students to explore health care professions.
BEAMS Summer Programming Ends
This summer, 82 students from Boston Area Health Education Center (BAHEC) joined MedSci&Edu's Boston Education, Advising & Mentoring in STEM (BEAMS) Program at BUSM to learn more about health care professions.
We loved having you and hope to see you again in our other BEAMS programs, like Intro to Medicine, Intro to Dentistry, and Intro to Global Health!
