Dna Today: A Genetics Podcast

Scott Weissman, founder of Chicago Genetic Consultants, discussing being an entrepreneur and genetic counselor at his private practice along with the subfields of genetic counseling he focuses on including cardiogenetics, hereditary cancer, and carrier screening. He shares his expertise on direct-to-consumer genetic testing offered from a variety of companies. Scott Weissman is a trailblazing genetic counselor who recently started his own independent practice, Chicago Genetic Consultants. He has previously been a genetic counselor at GeneDX and NorthShore University HealthSystem. Scott has received the Strategic Leader Award from the National Society of Genetic Counselors for working on multiple projects related to Medicare guidelines for cancer genetic testing, publishing genetic counseling and testing vignettes in the journal Community Oncology, and the United States Preventative Services Task Force BRCA genetic counseling guidelines. Scott is currently a Clinical Faculty member at the Northwestern Univer

Dr. Joanne Kamens discusses gender equality in work environments, specifically in scientific fields and how to have a successful career in science. We talk about the progress made so far, and how much more advances there are to be made. Trailblazers such as Sheryl Sandberg have been increasing awareness for gender work equality with her Lean In movement. Joanne offers her insight why women are not represented in CEO, President and other high positions in companies. She comments on the gender pay gap and how companies can work towards closing the gap. Careers in science include academia and research, but the list doesn't end there. Joanne explains a few non-traditional roles offered at Addgene and other companies. She shares her own experience to finding her current role at Addgene. Networking is key in careers, and Joanne discusses this in her Not Networking video. Dr. Joanne Kamens is the Executive Director of Addgene, a mission driven, nonprofit dedicated to helping scientists around the world share pla

Patient advocate, Georgia Hurst, shares about the hereditary cancer syndrome that she has, Lynch syndrome. It is an inherited disorder that increases the risk of many types of cancer, particularly cancers of the colon and rectum, and the reproductive organs in woman depending on which of the five Lynch syndrome mutations they hold. Georgia shares about her journey with Lynch syndrome from genetic counseling and genetic testing to find her mutation to risk reducing surgeries and how it has altered her life. New research and treatments in the hereditary cancer syndrome community is also Genetic counselors are important in guiding patients through genetic testing. Genetic counselors are valuable resources for helping patient learn about what hereditary cancer syndromes they may have and information for risk reducing surgeries. We highlight the difference between people practicing genetic counseling and certified genetic counselors. Georgia Hurst is a Lynch Syndrome Advocate, with her roles as Founder and Exec

Genetic counselor Brianne Kirkpatrick discuss family health history in honor of November being it’s awareness month, what the public should know about direct-to-consumer tests, how ancestry genetic testing works, and insight on running a private practice. Brianne Kirkpatrick, is a licensed and certified genetic counselor with more than 11 years of experience. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, International Society of Genetic Genealogy, and the National Genealogical Society. She has her own private practice, WatershedDNA, where she offers clients her expertise in medical genetics and counseling to provide support and information to those seeking DNA testing for genealogy and health purposes. Brianne received her Bachelor’s in Biology and Religious Studies at Indiana University followed by a Master’s in Genetic Counseling at Northwestern University.

Sharon Begley presented at UCONN about the invention and evolution of the CRISPR-CAS9 technology. After the event she joins me on the show to discuss how CRISPR technology is making huge advances in research with HIV/AIDS, sickle cell disease and more. We discuss how CRISPR compares to other genetic editing technologies and why it has become so universal. Sharon Begley, is a science communicator and is the senior science writer at STAT, the life sciences publication of the Boston Globe. Sharon Begley was previously the senior health and science correspondent at Reuters, the science editor and the science columnist at Newsweek, and a contributing writer at the magazine and its website, The Daily Beast. She is the co-author of the book, The Emotional Life of Your Brain. Another UCONN event is discussed in this episode, Environment, Epigenetics and Cancer: How to Cultivate the Connections. I highlight points from Dr. Mary Beth Terry’s keynote presentation, “Breast Cancer Susceptibility: Rethinking the role

Four events in one episode! I cover the NY Cytogenetics Regional Meeting I attending highlighting interesting points from presentations by Dr. Irene Cherric, Dr. Robert Hutchinson, Thomas Pope, Dr. Kazim R. Chohan, and Dr. Frank Middleton. I also discuss my presentation on the public's awareness of genetics through social media. These three genetic events are upcoming at UCONN/UCONN Health. All three have a focus on epigenetics, showing just how influential and universal this field of genetics is becoming. Environment, Epigenetics and Cancer: How to Cultivate the Connections October 24th, 2016 at 11:30 in the Student Union of UCONN Storrs, CT. Keynote Presentation by Mary Beth Terry, PhD “Breast Cancer Susceptibility : Rethinking the role of the environment and methods to improve risk assessment” Goal of the event to provide attendees with an update of current research and our understanding of the role of epigenetics and the environment in cancer risk and development. The panel will discuss advances i

Genetic counselor, Ginger Nichols, shares about what the MotherToBaby service offers (1-860-679-6199 for CT), her role as a genetic counselor, her expertise of the impact of the Zika Virus on pregnancy, the recommendation of flu shots for pregnant women, the effect of drugs on pregnancy, and October being Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Ginger also offers her insight into becoming a genetic counselor.  Ginger Nichols is a certified genetic counselor. She currently works for MotherToBaby CT, which is housed at UCONN Health in the Human Genetics department. Previously she worked in cytogenetic laboratories, taught undergraduate biology/genetics, and counseled adults with Down syndrome and other genetic disorders. She received her bachelor’s in Biology and Sociology at Juniata College followed by a Master’s in Medical Genetics at the University of Cincinnati. If you want to find a genetic counselor in your area, please go to nsgc.org, there you can find a search feature that allows you to locate a g

September is national awareness month for Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT)! It’s perfect timing for Bernadette Scarduzio and Allison Moore to educate us on CMT in honor of the awareness month.  "Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), named after the three doctors who first identified it, is one of the most common inherited nerve disorders. CMT affects an estimated 1 in 2,500 people in the United States and 2.6 million people worldwide, although experts believe the number could be much higher." (hnf-cure.org) Bernadette Scarduzio and Allison Moore are a passionate advocates for Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) syndrome working for the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation. Allison is the Founder and CEO and Bernadette is the Social Media Coordinator. Bernadette was born with CMT and lives with the syndrome every day. To raise awareness for the disease Bernadette’s life and family were featured in her self titled documentary, supported by HNF. Many of Bernadette’s family members also have the syndrome and she has made it her missio

Nevena Hristozova joins me on the show all the way from Brussels! She is in the field of research working with chaperones - stress related proteins, in plants under unfavorable environmental conditions. Nevena maps the molecular interactions of those proteins and their client proteins. We discuss the relationship between chaperons and plants, different types of stress related proteins, chaperons in humans and GMOs. She started her education in Biotechnology in her home country of Bulgaria, then moved to Helsinki for a master's degree in Natural resources, and is now last year PhD student in the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology in Brussels. Nevena's been working on molecular mechanisms of plant resistance and protection against pathogens and environmental conditions. You can check out her blog and follow her on Twitter at @NHristozova.

Dr. Fan explains what plasmids are, highlights cool genes that are inserted into plasmids and how Addgene's plasmid repository works.

Prenatal genetic counselor Brittany Gancarz talks about the field of genetic counseling, busts a few genetic counseling myths and announces a new genetic counseling program in Connecticut! She shares her expertise on genetic testing, what patients can expect during a prenatal genetic counseling appointment, and gives advice to students who are pursuing genetic counseling. Brittany Gancarz graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a master’s of science degree in Human Genetics. She is a genetic counselor and a clinical instructor in UCONN Health’s Genetics and Developmental Biology department.

Dr. Ellen Elliott discusses her research of lncRNAs in TH2 cells and asthma. One of the technologies she uses to study this is CRISPR, a genetic editing technology. CRISPR has hit the mainstream media fast, it was recently featured on the cover of TIME magazine. Dr. Elliott also gives us a sneak peak at Jackson Laboratory’s new blog series. Dr. Ellen Elliott is a Postdoctoral Associate in Adam Williams’ lab at the gorgeous Jackson Laboratory Genomic Medicine in Farmington, CT. Dr. Elliott is studying the function of long non-coding RNAs in TH2 cells and asthma. Her results will hopefully generate lncRNAs that could be used as therapeutic targets or in diagnostic tests. Dr. Elliott graduated from Indiana University with a BS in Biology and a BS in Neuroscience. After she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology.

Sharon Turcotte did research on lncRNAs with Williams Lab at the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine. She teaches us what a lncRNA is, its function in gene expression, diseases lncRNAs have been associated with, using the CRISPR-Cas system and her advice for students joining the biotech industry. If you want to learn more about RNAs, check out the database RNAcentral.org. You can also read more information about Williams Lab.

National DNA Day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003 and the discovery of the double helix of DNA in 1953. NHGRI began celebrating DNA Day annually on April 25th after the 108th Congress passed concurrent resolutions designating it as DNA Day. The goal of National DNA Day is to offer students, teachers and the public an opportunity to learn about and celebrate the latest advances in genomic research and explore how those advances might impact their lives. Check out NIH's director, Francis Collin's AMA on Reddit, the Harry Potter and the Genetics of Wizarding webinar and the tweetchat #DNADay16 archives. To celebrate on the show, I talk about what DNA is, the history of humans discovering new aspects of DNA, the fun events you can take part in and careers that all relate to DNA. Any questions about DNA Day and it’s events can be direct to dnaday@nih.gov. You can learn more on their website, https://www.genome.gov/10506367/national-dna-day/.

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is dedicated to providing “a different kind of healing” to seriously ill children and their families throughout the Northeast, free of charge. It’s a community that celebrates the fun, friendship and spirit of childhood, where every kid can “raise a little hell.” Former camper and current camp counselor, Ester Wasserman shares the magic of camp, how it was founded, what it offers campers and her own experience through the years.