Welcome!

This Course travels with you 24/7. All Course materials may be viewed on your desktop as well as on any of your mobile devices. Starting in 2020, all lectures have been close captioned as a beneficial feature for those registrants with a preference or need for visual learning. Finally, as a registrant, you will also be able to learn about new Course content and CEU submission dates through periodic e-newsletters.

After reviewing all about the Course in the following links, please feel free to contact us with any additional questions that may arise.

Bea Leopold and Audrey Lombard, Management Team

Chris Huziak, IT Manager

Kathleen Valverde, PhD, CGC

Sponsor and Management

History

Online Learning

Target Course Participants

Statement of Purpose

Course Goals

Meeting your Individualized and Group Study Goals

Faculty

Faculty Biosketches

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

Disclaimer Statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement

Lectures Sessions

Registration Fee Schedule

Cancellation Policy

Registration Contact Information

Register Online with Credit Cards

Sponsor and Management

Academic Director: Kathleen Valverde, PhD, LCGC. Dr. Valverde serves as Program Director of the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Program, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Management: Bea Leopold, BLCommunications, LLC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

History

The genealogy of this Course traces back to Dr. Elizabeth F. Neufeld, now Professor Emerita at the Department of Biological Chemistry at the University of California at Los Angeles. In 1984, Dr. Neufeld urged Dan Camerini-Otero, MD, PhD, Alan Schechter, MD, and John Mulvihill, MD, to develop a two-day Course in medical genetics under the sponsorship of the Interinstitute Medical Genetics Program of the National Institutes of Health in anticipation of the pending examination by the newly-formed American Board of Medical Genetics. The initial offerings of this Course were given in 1984, 1987, 1990 and 1993.

For subsequent cycles, 1996 through 2005, Elizabeth Gettig, MS, CGC, joined Dr. Mulvihill to serve as academic co-directors. They joined with the National Society of Genetic Counselors in a business and managerial partnership under the direction of Bea Leopold, NSGC’s Executive Director. In 2007, the Course converted to an online format, directed by Ms. Gettig and Dr. Mulvihill at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Human Genetics. Ms. Leopold continued as business and management director through her consulting company, BLCommunications LLC.

In 2008, the Course was granted approval for Category I Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by the American Board of Genetic Counseling. From 2009 - 2015, it was approved for CMEs by the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center’s Office of Continuing Professional Development. Due to low requests for CMEs, they were no longer offered after June 30, 2015.

In its 30th year, 2014, the Course’s academic home moved to Arcadia University with Kathleen Valverde, PhD, LCGC, and Laura Conway, PhD, LCGC, serving as Academic Co-Directors. In 2019, Drs. Valverde and Conway moved to the University of Pennsylvania where they continue to provide high-level, intensive and broad-reaching education to serve the medical genetics and genetic counseling community and other related professionals.

In 2020, this Review Course made a multi-year commitment that initiated an endowment fund designated as a Masters in Genetic Counseling Scholarship Fund at the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine of the University. The purpose of the Fund is to provide financial support to a student or students at the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine pursuing a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling, with a preference for students that are members of an underrepresented group in genetic counseling. Having met the endowment goal, the first grant was made in 2022.

Online Learning

Online learning has many advantages.

• It is available 24/7, meeting your schedule and pace preferences.
• It saves travel-related expenses and lost time from the office.
• It provides a generous allotment of CEUs for practicing genetic counselors to fulfill ongoing educational requirements, all at the convenience of your office or home computer or any of your mobile devices.

You, the registrants, win by being offered a comprehensive, well-organized program in real time to deliver the highest quality didactic and interactive learning environment. We look forward to your participation and to meeting your needs with stellar service as well as a fast, efficient and effective proven learning modality.

Target Course Participants

This Course has been developed as an advanced, intensive learning experience for the following groups:

• Individuals preparing to sit for the American Board of Genetic Counseling or American Board of Medical Genetics examinations.
• Genetic professionals wishing to earn ABGC-approved Category 1 CEUs for certification or licensure.
• Certified genetic counselors, geneticists and other health care professionals seeking to review or refresh their knowledge of genetics and genetic counseling.
• Clinicians, scientists, health care providers with a desire for an in-depth survey of basic and clinical genetics and genetic counseling best practices.
• Genomic industry sales or scientific team members wishing for an intensive, self-paced review of basic genetics.
• Individuals with a basic knowledge of genetics who have a desire to explore their understanding of advanced and clinical genetics.

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this Course is to provide a comprehensive review of the field of medical genetics, advances in genomic medicine and issues related to genetic counseling. It may be utilized as an aid in preparation for the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) and American Board of Medical Genetics (ABMG) comprehensive examinations or as an in-depth educational experience for those seeking a knowledge base or refresher in these areas of study. Course registrants must have an understanding of basic and applied genetics, genomics, statistics and counseling theory to derive maximum benefit from this Course.

Course Goals

This Course is an intensive online review of medical genetics and genetic counseling. At the conclusion of the Course, participants should be able to:

1. Identify specific areas of strengths and weaknesses in genetic knowledge and counseling theory using pre- and post-test tools.
2. Utilize basic genetic principles and case study examples in medical and genetic counseling practice.
3. Apply knowledge, concepts and theories learned throughout the course to improve genetics practice skills.

Meeting Your Individualized Study Goals

Access to this course is available on a secured, password-protected website. Registrants may access the Course on any computer or mobile device at any time, 24/7.

All registrants will be invited to voluntarily complete an online pre-test prior to taking the course to identify specific areas of strength and weakness. Results are not graded or shared with others. The intent of the pre-test is to allow registrants to identify areas of concentrated study. A post-test is also available, and again, the results are not graded or shared with others. These tests may be taken repeatedly for self-assessment purposes.

Faculty

An Introduction to Course
Kathleen Valverde, PhD, LCGC, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Biochemical Genetics
Lewis J. Waber, MD, PhD, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas TX (ret.); Colleen Muraresku, MS, CGC, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA

Cancer
Katherine A. Schneider, MPH, CGC, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA; Jill Stopfer, MS, CGC, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA; Diane Koeller MS, MPH, CGC, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts; Kayla Hamilton MS, CGC, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts

Cardiovascular Genetics
Emily M. James, MS, CGC, Invitae, Pittsburgh PA

Cytogenetics
Michael T. Mennuti, MD, Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Human Genetics and Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Jennifer J.D. Morrissette, PhD, FACMG, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Genetic Counseling Principles and Practice
Carrie Atzinger, MS, CGC, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH; Cara N. Cacioppo, MS, LCGC, University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Curtis R. Coughlin II, PhD, MS, MBE, CGC, HEC-C, University Of Colorado, Boulder CO; Kathryn Spitzer Kim, MS, CGC, Stanford, CA (former Director of Genetic Counseling Education, Arcadia University, Glenside, PA); Lisa Kessler, MS, CGC, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA; Kathleen Valverde, PhD, CGC, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Genetics and the Law
Emily M. James, MS, CGC, Invitae, Pittsburgh PA

Medical Genetics
Brenda Finucane, MS, LGC, Geisinger Health System, Lewisburg PA; Emily M. James, MS, CGC, Invitae, Pittsburgh PA; Staci Kallish, DO, Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia PA; Ian Krantz, MD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA; Elinor Langfelder-Schwind, MS, CGC, Lenox Hill Hospital/Northwell Health, New York, NY; Donna McDonald-McGinn, MS, LCGC, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA; Karen S. Raraigh, MGC, LCGC, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Molecular Genetics
Laura J. Conway, PhD, CGC, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Neurogenetics
Livija Medne, MS, CGC, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA; Tanya Bardakjian, MS, LCGC, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Genomic Medicine
Erynn Gordon MS, CGC, Ripple Genetics Consulting, Mt. Laurel, NJ; Sara Reichert, MS, MPH LCGC, Children’s Hospital Of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Sony Tuteja, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FAHA, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Prenatal
Janet Berman, MS, LCGC, RADfertility, Wilmington DE; Dee Quinn, MS, CGC, Arizona Pregnancy Riskline and College of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ; Nicole Truitt, MS, LCGC, Natera, Inc., Philadelphia, PA

Quantitative Genetics
Jehannine Austin, PhD, CGC, CCGC, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Lisa Schwartz, MS, EdD, CGC, The George Washington University, Washington, DC; Robert Wilson, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Faculty Biosketches

Carrie Atzinger, MS, CGC, is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati Genetic Counseling Program, where she now serves as Assistant Director. Her clinical practice specializes in pediatrics at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. In addition, whe coordinates CCHMC's Marfan/Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Clinic and Skeletal Dysplasia Center. She has developed online courses in Cardiovascular Genetics and Laboratory Genetic Counseling in addition to updating previously available courses in Embryology and Teratology. Carrie serves as a faculty member for the CCHMC Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program, and is involved in various other administrative aspects of the program.

Jehannine Austin, PhD, CGC, CCGC, is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry & Department of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Translational Psychiatric Genomics. She completed her PhD in neuropsychiatric genetics at the University of Wales College of Medicine prior to pursuing her training and certification in genetic counseling at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests focus on the interface between psychiatric genetics and clinical practice. She completed the first randomized controlled trial to investigate the impact of genetic counselling for individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar and schizoaffective disorder. In addition, she has co-authored a book, How to Talk with Families about Genetics and Psychiatric Illness, and in 2012, founded the first international specialist psychiatric genetic counselling service that now trains clinicians from all over the world. Her international scholarly works, professional activities, awards and publications are numerous.

Tanya Bardakjian, MS, CGC is the Senior Genetic Counselor and Co-Director of the Neurogenetics Program and Huntington’s Disease Center of Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Masters of Science in Genetic Counseling from Arcadia University and has over 20 years of experience in the field of clinical research in genetic counseling. She provides genetic counseling and genetic test coordination for a variety of neurological indications and serves as a resource to providers in the health system. She educates students, residents and fellows on the field of clinical neurogenetics. She has made multiple important contributions to the fields of clinical genetics and genetic counseling, including participation on the discovery of novel disease-causing genes, directing funded research projects aimed at understanding the attitudes of patients with genetic disease towards novel gene-based therapies or analyzing the impact of genetic diagnosis on extended families, among others. Tanya is the current Co-Chair of the Neurogenetics Special Interest Group of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) and serves on the NSGC Public Policy Committee and Abstract Committee. She provides patient care in the Neurogenetics Clinic, Huntington’s Disease Center of Excellence, MDA Clinic, Inherited Neuropathy Program, Parkinson’s Disease Center and ALS Center at Penn Medicine.

Janet Berman, MS, LCGC, was awarded a master’s degree in Genetic Counseling from Arcadia University in 2003 and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2005. She is licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling. She served as Assistant Director of Perinatal Genetics at Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, where her responsibilities include clinical counseling, education, supervision and research. Currently, she is Director of Genetic Counseling at RADfertility in Wilmington DE. She has written five book chapters and holds numerous awards for her outstanding contributions to the field of genetic counseling.

Cara N. Cacioppo MS, LCGC Cara N. Cacioppo is a genetic counselor in the Penn Telegenetics Program at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling degree from Arcadia University, Bachelor of the Arts degrees in Biology and Psychology from Boston University, and is board certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling. She currently provides remote clinical genetic counseling services for hereditary cancer risk assessment via telegenetics and participates in various telegenetics research protocols. Ms. Cacioppo also serves as an author in the National Society of Genetic Counselors? Systematic Review Author Group for development of a new evidence-based telegenetics practice guideline.

Laura J. Conway, PhD, CGC, received her BS in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her MS in Genetic Counseling from Arcadia University. She served as Associate Director of the Arcadia University Genetic Counseling Program from 2004 to 2019, and is now Associate Director of the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Program at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Her varied credentials and experience have enriched her teaching of advanced science and laboratory courses and student mentorship. Dr. Conway’s own research interests focus on how the genetic counseling profession is adapting to new technology, both in the clinic and more globally, as a profession. She has held leadership positions in genetic counseling organizations, including serving as Secretary/Treasurer of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, and first as Secretary and then President of the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors. Dr. Conway’s work has been published in more than a dozen peer-reviewed journals.

Curtis R. Coughlin II, PhD, MS, MBE, CGC, HEC-C, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He trained as a genetic counselor at Arcadia University and received his Masters of Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a certified Healthcare Ethics Consultant (HEC-C) at the Children’s Hospital Colorado and has served as the ethics content expert for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Newborn Screening Program and the chair of the ethics advisory group for the National Society of Genetic Counselors. Dr. Coughlin also works as an ELSI genomics researcher who focuses on equitable access to genomics information and supporting individual decision-making.

Brenda Finucane, MS, LGC, is a licensed genetic counselor and the Associate Director of the Autism and Developmental Medicine Institute of Geisinger Health System in Lewisburg, PA. Her clinical and research activities have focused on genetic causes of neurodevelopmental disorders. Ms. Finucane has a particular interest in the behavioral and cognitive manifestations of fragile X, Smith-Magenis, 15q duplication, and other syndromes that result in complex intellectual and neuropsychological symptoms. Her experience with this population includes young children through adults, and she has a specific interest in research related to the natural history of behavioral and developmental disorders over the lifespan. Ms. Finucane is widely published and has been in leadership roles in professional and advocacy organizations throughout her career, including a term as president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors in 2012.

Erynn, Gordon MS, CGC, is a board certified genetic counselor with 20 years of clinical, research, and industry experience. She is currently the Founder and President of Ripple Genetics Consulting. Prior to founding Ripple Genetics, Erynn has held roles as VP of Clinical Operations at Genome Medical, Director of Clinical Development at 23andMe, and Director of Genetic Counseling for the Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative. In addition to her recent work in industry, Erynn has held traditional clinical roles at Children's National Medical Center and the University of Maryland. Erynn has been deeply engaged in the genetic counseling community, having served as past president of the American Board of Genetic Counseling and on the Board of Directors for the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

Kayla Hamilton MS, CGC, is a clinical and research genetic counselor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She received her master’s degree in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling from Stanford University in 2016. She provides clinical genetic counseling services to pediatric patients with a personal or family history of cancer, and specializes in bone-marrow failure syndromes and leukemia predisposition. Kayla’s research interests include exploring the psychosocial impact of a diagnosis of a leukemia predisposition syndrome. She is also interested in exploring clinician and family perspectives regarding pre-emptive transplant for individuals with an increased genetic risk for hematologic malignancies.

Emily M. James, MS, CGC, has been a genetic counselor on the Clinical Consultation Services team at Invitae since fall 2016. She is a lead supporting the Genetic Counseling Assistants (GCAs), and her primary clinical areas of interest are cardiology, neurology, and epilepsy. Prior to joining Invitae, she worked as a pediatric genetic counselor (Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh), then as a research coordinator and cancer genetic counselor (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), and as a cancer and cardiology genetic counselor (Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh and multiple outreach clinics in Western Pennsylvania). Emily is a Certified Genetic Counselor and is licensed in California and Pennsylvania.

Staci M. Kallish, DO, is a physician in the Division of Translational Medicine and Medical Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania. She is Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine and is Board Certified in both Pediatrics and Medical Genetics - Clinical Biochemical Genetics. Among her clinical areas of interest are cardiomyopathies, skeletal dysplasias, connective tissue disease, metabolic myopathies, muscular dystrophies, neurofibromatosis and developmental disabilities.

Lisa Kessler, MS, LCGC, is a graduate of the Arcadia University Genetic Counseling Program. She is on the leadership team of the Perelman School of Medicine's University of Pennsylvania Masters in Genetic Counseling Program. Prior to her affiliation in the graduate program, she served as Clinical Coordinator of the Arcadia University Genetic Counseling Program. She has also served in variety of positions at University of Pennsylvania, including the Departments of Psychiatry and Ophthalmology and Division of Medical Genetics. She has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors.

Diane Koeller MS, MPH, CGC, is a Senior Genetic Counselor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. She received her MS in Genetic Counseling and MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan in 2016. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC). Clinically, she specializes rare hereditary cancer risks such as Hereditary Paraganglioma-Pheochromocytoma syndrome. She is involved in a variety of research studies involving inherited lung cancer risk, genetic counseling and testing in Rwanda, and inclusive care for transgender and nonbinary patients. In 2021, she co-founded and co-chaired the Gender-Inclusive subcommittee of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) Cancer Special Interest Group (SIG).

Ian D. Krantz, MD, is Professor of Pediatrics and Co-director of Individualized Medical Genetic at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in Philadelphia, PA, and serves as Medical Director of the Arcadia University Genetic Counseling Program. He earned his MD at Tel Aviv University in 1991. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in both Clinical Cytogenetics and Clinical Genetics. His areas of research interest are of the molecular etiology of syndromic and non-syndromic human development disorders and birth defects, particularly those syndromes related to birth defects and hearing loss. In practice, as a pediatrician and clinical geneticist, his focus is on dysmorphology and pediatric genetics disorders, including Cornelia de Lange, Alagille and Pallister Killian syndromes and related disorders. In addition, he directs a genetics clinic dedicated to children with sensorineural hearing loss. Dr. Krantz is well published in peer-reviewed journals.

Elinor Langfelder-Schwind, MS, LCGC, Elinor Langfelder-Schwind received her B.S. in Biology and Society from Cornell University, M.S. in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College, and certification from the American Board of Genetic Counseling. Elinor began her career in CF genetics as a Program Analyst in the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications Program of the National Center for Human Genome Research (now NHGRI) where she helped to coordinate the pilot studies on implementing CF carrier screening in the general population. She has worked with adult and pediatric patients as a genetic counselor in accredited CF Centers for over 25 years, initially at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City, and she currently holds the position at Lenox Hill Hospital/Northwell Health. Elinor is an active participant in the New York State CF newborn screening consortium, National Society of Genetic Counselors' CFTR Spectrum Disorders Special Interest Group, and first author of the NSGC Practice Recommendations on CF screening. She is a site administrative and regulatory research coordinator for gene modulation and other research studies, and PI of a stakeholder assessment project to understand and address barriers to equitable provision of genetic counseling in CF care centers. Elinor educates genetic counseling students as a clinical training site coordinator, thesis advisor, and lecturer at several training programs. Elinor chaired the Genetic Services Committee and served on the Board of Directors of the NSGC from 2005-2007 and is recognized nationally for her contributions to the field of CF genetic counseling.

Donna McDonald McGinn, MS, CGC, received her BA in biology and sociology from Rosemont College and her MS in human genetics from Sarah Lawrence College. After graduation, she joined the Division of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology as a genetic counselor and clinical coordinator at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She was recently appointed Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania and is Director of the 22q and You Center at CHOP. Her areas of expertise are clinical research and genetic counseling related to the diagnosis of cleft palate and craniofacial disorders, and she has been recognized internationally for her work with 22q. In 2012, she received the DiGeorge Medal of Honor for her expertise and contributions to the understanding and/or treatment of chromosome 22q deletion syndrome. She was only the second person to receive this highly esteemed honor.

Livija Medne, MS, CGC is a genetic counselor who has been working in pediatric genetics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia since 1997. For the last 12 years, she has focused on neurogenetic and neuromuscular disorders and has seen and counseled patients and families with both centrally mediated neurologic disorders and peripheral neuromuscular diseases. She has participated in clinical treatment trials for DMD as well as several natural history trials and patient registries for other neuromuscular diseases. She serves on the Genetic Counseling Taskforce for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Since 2014, Livija has been working as a co-director of the Individualized Medical Genetics Center at CHOP. This newly established program sees patients who undergo large-scale genomic testing, with the focus on exome/genome sequencing. Throughout her carreer in genetic counseling, Livija has been lecturing to medical and genetic counseling students as well as genetics and neurology fellows.

Michael T. Mennuti, MD, is professor emeritus of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Human Genetics and Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. He is Board Certified in clinical cytogenetics, clinical genetics, obstetrics and gynecology and is subspecialty certified in maternal fetal medicine. Among numerous leadership roles, he served as President of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), as a Director of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology including as Vice President of the Board. Dr. Mennuti served as Chair of the Department of OB/GYN at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania for 18 years and Director of the Reproductive Genetics and Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis Program for more than 25 years. Dr. Mennuti, is currently affiliated with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Hospital of The University of Pennsylvania. His research and clinical interests include development of methods to screen for fetal Down syndrome, screening for cystic fibrosis and prevention of folic acid dependent neural tube defects. He has been awarded numerous commendations for professional excellence and has authored or co-authored numerous scientific or clinical publications. Most recently he has written the two chapters on cytogenetics in a text published by Elsevier titled Perinatal Genetics edited by Mary Norton, Jeffrey Kuller and Lorraine Dugoff

Jennifer J.D. Morrissette, PhD, is Associate Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Clinical Director, Center for Personalized Diagnostics at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. She is certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics in Clinical Molecular Genetics and Clinical Cytogenetics. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School and a Fellow in Genetics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She has been nationally recognized with numerous awards and honors. She serves on the ECOG/ACRIN Cytogenetics Subcommittee in the Leukemia group. Dr. Morrissette has contributed to more than 90 publications.

Colleen Clarke Muraresku, MS, LCGC, is Senior Genetic Counselors and Program Administrator at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She earned her Master's Degree in Genetic Counseling from Arcadia University, Glenside PA. Her interest and area of expertise is in biochemical genetics, and she has nearly a dozen peer-reviewed articles, including being lead author for an article published by Molecular Genetics and Metabolism in 2013.

Dee Quinn, MS, CGC, is Director of the University of Arizona Genetic Counseling Graduate Program. Prior to assuming this position, she was Director of MotherToBaby AZ since it began in 1999, and she continues as a consultant. She is a Clinical Lecturer in the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Arizona and teaches genetics and teratology to medical students, residents, fellows and other allied health professionals. At the University of Connecticut from 1981-1989, she provided prenatal, pediatric and cancer genetic counseling and developed the Connecticut Pregnancy Riskline. She served as President of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) from 1999-2001 and Executive Director from 2005-2012. She received a Master’s degree in Genetic Counseling from Sarah Lawrence College.

Karen S. Raraigh, MS, CGC, Karen Siklosi Raraigh received her MGC in Genetic Counseling from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2008. Immediately after, she completed a yearlong research project at St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland under the auspices of a US Department of State Fulbright grant. During this time, she investigated knowledge, attitudes, and education regarding cystic fibrosis (CF) in adult patients in Ireland, as well as developed a quality improvement questionnaire to assess patient views on their quality and delivery of CF care. Upon her return to the US, she joined the Genetics Department at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH to provide genetic counseling for families with a variety of genetic conditions. While in Ohio, Ms. Raraigh was a member of the Cystic Fibrosis Transition Team, a group of CF care providers working to establish and improve transition procedures for patients with CF. In 2011, Ms. Raraigh joined a research team at Johns Hopkins University, where she currently works on the Clinical and Functional Translation of CFTR (CFTR2) project and database, as well as a variety of other CF-related research projects. Her primary interests are genotype-phenotype correlation and communication of genetic information. She is the former chair of the Genetic Counselors' Consortium at Johns Hopkins and of the Cystic Fibrosis Special Interest Group within the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

Sara Reichert, MS, MPH LCGC, is a licensed board-certified Genetic Counselor in the Division of Genomic Diagnostics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her prior clinical experience was focused primarily on pediatric genetics and metabolic diseases with an emphasis on lysosomal storage disorders. Sara is an active member of the Virginia and Pennsylvania Association of Genetic Counselors and serves as a regional lead for the Advocacy Coordinating Committee for the National Society of Genetic Counselors to help support H.R. 2144/S.1450. She is a lecturer for the Virginia Commonwealth University, Thomas Jefferson University, and University of Pennsylvania Genetic Counseling programs and serves as a clinical supervisor for the University of Pennsylvania Program.

Lisa Schwartz, MS, EdD, CGC, received her masters in genetic counseling from the University of Pittsburgh Genetic Counseling Training Program and her doctorate in higher education administration from The George Washington University. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling. She is former director of the University of Maryland Master's in Genetic Counseling Training Program, and she currently is Assistant Professor at the Department of Integrated Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences at The George Washington University in Washington DC. She has extensive teaching experience and has more than two dozen publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Katherine A. Schneider, MPH, CGC, is a graduate of the Arcadia University Genetic Counseling Program. Currently, Ms. Kessler is the Assistant Director of the Master in Science of Genetic Counseling Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to her affiliation in the graduate program, she served in a variety of positions at University of Pennsylvania, including the Departments of Psychiatry and Ophthalmology and the Division of Medical Genetics. She has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Kathryn Spitzer Kim, MS, CGC, has been a genetic counselor for 28 years and has taught in a genetic counseling training programs for 20 of those years, giving her a broad perspective on the field and many years of experience teaching and critiquing best practices in the field. She currently is on faculty in the Stanford University Genetic Counseling Program. Prior to this position, she served as Director of Counseling Education at the Arcadia University Genetic Counseling Program. Additionally, she has published in several peer review journals including the Journal of Genetic Counseling, for which she served as an editor for several years. She is the author of the chapter on interviewing in A Guide to Genetic Counseling (2009) edited by Uhlmann, Schutte, and Yashar. Her personal areas of expertise and interest are the psychological foundations of genetic counseling and multicultural perspectives.

Jill Stopfer, MS, CGC, was awarded her degree in genetic counseling at the University of Michigan in 1988. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics and the American Board of Genetic Counseling. From 2008 - 2015, she was the Familial Cancer Coordinator at Abramson Cancer Center and Basser Center for BRCA at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA and was among the first genetic counselors in the country to develop a high risk breast program, offering family history assessment, risk calculation and research participation. While at the University of Pennsylvania, she helped to establish research and clinical protocols for a multidisciplinary clinical and research cancer genetics program, which has served thousands of families with a specialty in risk assessment and genetic testing and counseling families at increased risk for breast, ovarian, colon, pancreatic and other hereditary forms of cancer. In 2015, she relocated to Boston MA, and was named Associate Director of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention.

Nicole Truitt, MS, LCGC, a licensed and certified genetic counselor, is a Telehealth Genetic Counselor Supervisor at Natera, Inc. She was awarded a master's degree in Genetic Counseling from Arcadia University in 2003 and was certified in 2005. Her current responsibilities include providing comprehensive reproductive genetic counseling via telehealth and the supervision of a team of five genetic counselors. Prior to this position, Nicole worked as a laboratory genetic counselor supervisor at Progenity, Inc. Before moving to industry, Nicole was a genetic counselor in the Division of Reproductive Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia PA, and in the Department of Genetics at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven CT.

Sony Tuteja, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FAHA, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Assistant Director of Pharmacogenomics within the Penn Center for Precision Medicine. Dr. Tuteja received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Michigan and her Masters in Translational Research at the University of Iowa. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in pharmacogenomics at the University of Pennsylvania. She established the first pharmacist-run pharmacogenetics clinic within Penn Medicine where she consults with patients requesting pharmacogenetic testing. Her research focuses on three main areas: 1) implementation of pharmacogenomics into clinical care to improve patient outcomes, 2) discovery of novel pharmacogenomic markers of drug response using electronic medical record data (EMR) coupled with large DNA repositories, 3) mechanistic studies in human subjects involving evoked pharmacological perturbations coupled with multi-omic data analyses.

Kathleen Valverde, PhD, CGC, serves as Director of the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Program at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine. She is co-director of the Review Course in Medical Genetics and Genetic Counseling. Active in her profession, she has served on the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors (AGCPD), is a founding member of the Accreditation Council of Genetic Counseling (ACGC), was a Board member of American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) and has held numerous leadership positions of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC). She was instrumental in the process that resulted in licensure for genetic counselors in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Her publications are well recognized and she is a frequent invited speaker at national professional conferences.

Lewis J. Waber, MD, PhD, has a distinguished career in medical genetics and is certified in Pediatrics, Clinical Genetics and Biochemical Genetics. He was awarded a dual degree in Medicine (MD) and Biochemistry (PhD) from Case Western Reserve followed by post-doctoral internship, residency and genetic fellowships at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. He served from 1989 - 2015 at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where he was a Distinguished Teaching Professor from 2007 - 2015 at the time of his retirement. He was Principal or Co-Investigator for numerous research grants in biochemical genetics awarded by NIH, New York State Department of Health and Texas Department of Health.

Robert B. Wilson, MD, PhD, received his BA in Music and his BS in Biochemistry from Brown University, and his MD and PhD in Genetics from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency training in Clinical Pathology and his fellowship training in Transfusion Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and he was then a post-doctoral researcher in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He joined the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania as an Assistant Professor in 1992 and is now a Full Professor. His primary research interests are in the neurodegenerative disorder Friedreich's ataxia, in the development of small RNA therapeutics and in the statistics of genetic risk assessment. During a sabbatical in 2012 - 2013, Dr. Wilson studied computer science and advanced statistics at the University of Pennsylvania, culminating in graduate-level courses in Machine Learning and Advanced Bayesian Data Analysis. In addition to research, he is a practicing molecular genetic pathologist in the Molecular Pathology Laboratory of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He also teaches general pathology to medical and graduate students, molecular pathology to residents and fellows, and topics related to neurodegenerative disease to neuroscience graduate students.

Continuing Education (CEUs)

CEUs for Genetic Counselors

CEUs are available for Board certified active registrants, only. Once you are no longer an active registrant, you may re-enroll within a five-year period of your original registration for the purpose of accruing CEUs. We offer a significant discounted rate. Contact Audrey: Audrey@BLCommunications.us

The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) has authorized BLCommunications, LLC, to offer up to 9.26 CEUs or 92.6 Category 1 contact hours for the activity Online Review Course in Medical Genetics and Genetic Counseling. The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) will accept CEUs earned at this program for the purposes of genetic counselor certification and recertification.

• For individuals who have not previously completed the Course for CEUs, including lectures and tutorials: 9.26 CEUs or 92.6 Contact Hours.
• For individuals who have earned CEUs prior to October 5, 2021, please contact Audrey c/o Audrey@blcommunications.us. She will assist you in determining the correct number of CEUs available to you.

If you need help determining which CEU group you qualify for or if you need clarification about the fee schedule, send an email to Audrey@blcommunications.us for assistance.

Genetic Counselors are not eligible for ABGC-approved CEUs toward recertification until notification awarding diplomate status is received. Exceptions may be outlined in guidelines set by American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC). Once officially certified, the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) will accept CEUs earned in this program for the purposes of certification or recertification.

We will be processing applications for CEUs in September, late November and mid March.

The special $399 pricing model rate does not include CEUs.

CEUs may be obtained for this Course under a separate payment agreement. Visit https://blcommunications.us/register.php.

Look for more information or contact Audrey at Audrey@BLCommunications.us

Disclaimer Statement

Statements, opinions and results of studies contained in this course do not reflect the policy or position of the Academic Director or the BLCommunications Management Team, and they do not provide any warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.

Every reasonable effort has been made to faithfully reproduce the presentations and material as submitted. However, no responsibility is assumed by the Academic Director or the Management Team for any claims, injury and/or damage to persons or property from any cause, including negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instruments, or ideas contained in the material herein.

The information displayed in a closed caption is not an official record of any proceeding and may not be relied upon as an accurate or complete record of any proceeding.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement

The faculty members of this Course have had no role in constructing any of the board examinations. We make no pretense that this Course's curriculum reflects the content of either the ABGC or ABMG Board examinations. Likewise, the practice questions are offered as a means of gaining experience in test taking. We make no claim that either the style of the questions or their content is representative of the either examination.

For information about relationships of presenters with regard to commercial interests, if any, Click here.

Privacy and Confidentiality

All information is held with strictest confidence. BLCommunications, LLC, does not sell, rent or lease any information provided by our registrants for any reason other than for the purposes of CEU procurement.

Lectures Sessions

Topic	Faculty	Title	CEU- eligible Lecture Minutes	CEU- eligible Tutorial Questions Minutes	Total CEU- eligible Contact Hours
Biochemical Genetics	Colleen Muraresku, MS, CGC	Mitochondrial Disorders	95	52.5	2.46
	Lewis J. Waber, MD, PhD	Biochemical Genetics & Metabolic Syndromes	412	105	8.62
Cancer Genetics	Diane Koeller, MS, MPH, CGC	Somatic Testing	63	25	1.47
	Jill Stopfer, MS, CGC	Breast and Ovarian Cancer	188	152.5	5.68
	Katherine A. Schneider, MPH, CGC	Dermatologic, Central Nervous System, Childhood, Neuroendocrine, Tumors	71	75	2.43
	Kayla Hamilton, MS, CGC	Genetic Predisposition to Hematologic Malignancy	72	25	1.62
Cardiovascular Genetics	Emily M. James, MS, CGC	Cardiovascular Genetics	80	100.0	3.00
Cytogenetics	Jennifer J.D. Morrissette, Ph.D., FACMG	Chromosomal Analysis, Nomenclature and Cancer Cytogenetics	92	107.5	3.33
	Michael T. Mennuti, MD	Cytogenetics: Prenatal, Reproductive and Sex Chromosomes	234	52.5	4.78
Genetic Counseling Principles and Practice	Cara N. Cacioppo, MS	Telemedicine in Genetic Counseling	67	25.0	1.53
	Carrie Atzinger, MS	Clinical Supervision and Self Care	60	25.0	1.42
	Curtis R. Coughlin II, PhD, MS, MBE, CGC, HEC-C	Ethics in Clinical Practice	76	30	1.77
	Kathleen Valverde, MS	Guiding Models and Hallmarks of Patient Interactions	52	120.0	2.87
	Kathryn S. Kim, MS	Addressing Difficult Issues with Clients and Crisis Intervention	60	27.5	1.46
	Lisa Kessler, MS	Case Management: Theories and Concepts	51	30.0	1.35
Genetics and the Law	Emily M. James, MS, CGC	Genetics Nondiscrimination: The Law	18	37.5	0.93
Genomic Medicine	Erynn Gordon, M.S., CGC	Personalized Medicine	121	50	2.85
	Sara Reichert, MS, MPH LCGC	Whole Genome, Whole Exome & Variant Analysis	127	50	2.95
	Sony Tuteja, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FAHA	Pharmacogenetics	38	25	1.05
Medical Genetics	Brenda Finucane, MS, LCGC	Mental Retardation and FraX	63	25.0	1.47
	Donna McDonald-McGinn, MS, LCGC	What's New with 22q?	59	27.5	1.44
	Elinor Langfelder-Schwind, MS, LCGC	Cystic Fibrosis	45	22.5	1.13
	Emily M. James, MS, CGC	Patterns of Inheritance	41	50	1.52
	Emily M. James, MS, CGC	Marfan's and other Arteriopathies	27	27.5	0.91
	Ian Krantz, MD	Intro to Dysmorphology	77	30.0	1.78
	Karen S. Raraigh, MGC, LCGC	Cystic Fibrosis	47	25.0	1.20
	Staci Kallish, DO	Common Genetic Disorders	50	25	1.25
Molecular Genetics	Laura Conway, PhD, CGC	Molecular Genetics, Parts 1 - 6	155	77.5	3.88
Neurogenetics	Livija Medne, MS, CGC	Childhood Neuromuscular and Neurodegenerative Disorders	171	67.5	3.98
	Tanya Bardakjian, MS, LCGC	Adult Neurodegenerative Disorders: Adult Onset Dementia and Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Gaucher diseases	116	50.0	2.77
Prenatal Genetics	Dee Quinn, MS, CGC	Teratogens	45	37.5	1.38
	Janet Berman, MS, LCGC	U/S Findings and PN Testing; CfDNA	239	50.0	4.82
	Nicole Truitt, MS	Aneuploidy and Carrier Screening; DxTesting	255	50.0	5.08
Quantitative Genetics	Jehannine Austin, PhD, CGC, CCGC	Genetics of Complex Disorders	62	35	1.62
	Lisa Schwartz, MS, EdD, CGC	Hardy Weinberg Applications	47	62.5	1.83
	Robert Wilson, MD, PhD	Baysian Probability	90	25	1.92
	Tutorial Question Bonus	1-3	0	187.5	3.13
Total Category 1 CEU eligible Contact Hours					92.60

Registration Fee Schedule

If you are taking the February 2025 ABGC board exam, you may register at the special rate of $399 for total access through February 28, 2025. This fee does not include CEUs or the CEU option.

Special: Genetic Counselors taking the ABGC Boards in February 2025 This rate is valid through February 28, 2025, only Register Now

$399

Credit Cards Accepted Online only. The charge will appear as BLCommunications on your monthly charge card statement.

• A $50 fee will be applied for all charge backs on credit cards.
• We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

Cancellation Policy

We regret that refunds will not be granted after access codes are provided.

Registration Contact Information

Audrey Lombard, Course Administrator
Email: Audrey@BLCommunications.US

Bea Leopold, Managing Director
Email: BLeopold@BLCommunications.US

Register Online with Credit Cards