Color at National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) 2020

Each year the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) holds its annual conference to discuss the most pressing issues in genetic counseling, share best practices and connect genetic counselors from across the country. As with many other conferences this year, this year is virtual and the topics being discussed are more urgent than in years past. 

This year’s NSGC conference kicks off today and conversations will focus on population genomics, efficient service delivery models, effective responses to COVID-19 and better representation and diversity across the field. Color has prioritized providing healthcare at scale and has been sharing these kinds of insights with the genetic counseling community at NSGC for years, because we know they are the key to strengthening the value of care counselors can provide. Color’s genetic counseling team is presenting and leading conversations on several of these topics, including:

– Results and implications of large scale population genomics initiatives: This panel discussion, featuring our Senior Program Manager and our partners from the All of Us Research Program, will explore data from several population genomics screening (PGS) models and the impact of participating in PGS initiatives.  

– COVID-19 Response: Over the past seven months, Color has been able to leverage our testing labs, technology and our team to support testing needs across the country. One of Color’s senior genetic counselors, Lily Servais, who has been vital to operationalizing Color’s COVID-19 platform, will share what she’s learned about delivering public health care in a pandemic.

– Efficient service delivery: This session highlights the ways genetic counselors have addressed barriers in genomics, including increased demand for genetics services and the number of instances in which a patient’s genetic assessment directly impacts their clinical care. Lauren Ryan, Senior Program Manager at Color, is joining this session to discuss ways to deliver high-quality genetic counseling services as demand continues to increase. Our team will also present a poster on how custom automated software tools can simplify follow-up tasks for genetic counselors, freeing them up to spend more time conducting direct patient care.

This year’s conference also addresses the lack of diversity in the field of genetic counseling.  Unfortunately, the makeup of genetic counseling professionals does not always reflect the communities we serve – and we need to work to change that.

This year Color will be piloting the Genetic Counseling Summer Scholar Program. The summer scholar will join our team for a full clinical rotation with Color’s board certified genetic counselors, get extensive telemedicine experience, and receive a $10,000 stipend to cover travel and living expenses for the 2021 summer rotation. Candidates must be current genetic counseling graduate students who identify as being part of an under-represented group based on ethnicity, sex, gender, disability, sexuality, financial hardship, and/or other categories. This scholar will be chosen based on their application and essay response. 

If you’d like to join the conversations at the conference, you can still register for the NSGC conference here. For more information and to submit your application for the Genetic Counseling Summer Scholar program, visit us at color.com/GCSummerScholars.

About Color

Color is a leader in distributed healthcare and clinical testing. Color makes population-scale healthcare programs accessible, convenient, and cost-effective for everyone. Color works with health systems, employers, and national health initiatives around the world including the million-person All of Us Research Program by the National Institutes of Health. For more information about Color and its response to COVID-19, visit www.color.com.