Genetic Counseling (GC)

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GENETIC COUNSELING SHARED RESOURCE ABSTRACT The Genetic Counseling (GC) Shared Resource provides cutting-edge genetic services and expertise at an affordable cost to University of Utah (U of U) investigators conducting research related to the inherited basis of cancer. The GC Shared Resource has provided clinical genetics services and supported genetic research at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) since 2003. It was first competed for CCSG support in 2009. Wendy Kohlmann, MS, CGC, a senior genetic counselor, has managed the core since 2006; she oversees a team that includes four additional board-certified genetic counselors and support staff. To achieve its goal of advancing cancer genetics research, the GC Shared Resource provides services including: identifying and recruiting appropriate participants and controls for genetic studies, aiding in study design, addressing ethical and psychosocial issues associated with genetic research, collecting and interpreting family histories, stratifying risk, developing and implementing tailored genetic counseling interventions, and interpreting data. The GC team works individually with investigators to inform them about the services, expertise, infrastructure, data, and biospecimens available through the GC Shared Resource for genetic research and to determine the feasibility and appropriate design of potential studies. The Resource supports funded research through the course of the project, from study design to publication stages. Individuals and families with hereditary cancer susceptibilities are rare, and identifying and recruiting participants for genetic research has the potential to be cost prohibitive. The GC Shared Resource adds important value to the Cancer Center by identifying and maintaining cohorts of individuals and families with various cancer risk profiles so samples and data are readily available for investigators. The GC Shared Resource has also expanded research opportunities by providing infrastructure to return genetic findings back to participants. The GC Shared Resource contributes to a robust translational research program in which genetic discoveries lead to subsequent behavioral and clinical studies, thereby contributing to cancer genetic research at the U of U, as well as cancer prevention and personalized cancer treatment at HCI. The GC Shared Resource is a Cancer Center-managed facility with supervision from HCI Directors and a Faculty Advisory Committee. Surveys are used to assess user satisfaction. The Resource is located in HCI and is thus easily accessible to all Cancer Center members and other campus users. In 2013, use of the Resource by Cancer Center members with peer-reviewed funding exceeded 80%, while the CCSG budget request is only 6% ($37,894) of the total proposed budget.