Celebrating the Contributions of the Medical Genetics Team
Medical Genetics Awareness Week
Medical Genetics Awareness Week, held between March 14 – 17, is an annual event organized by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) to increase awareness and understanding of medical genetics and genomics among healthcare providers, patients, and the public. During this week, ACMG promotes the importance of genetic testing and counseling and provides educational resources to help individuals better understand the role of genetics in health.
Baylor Genetics endorses ACMG’s initiatives aimed at raising awareness about medical genetics, enhancing the well-being of individuals and families impacted by genetic conditions, and equipping our readers with valuable insights and knowledge during Medical Genetics Awareness Week.
In this article, we celebrate this week by honoring the vital contributions of medical professionals, researchers, and patient advocates. Our aim is to shed light on the crucial role of the medical genetics team in patient care and public health, and to offer our readers valuable insights into the genetics industry. To achieve this, we interviewed some of the experts at Baylor Genetics to collect their input on the importance of Medical Genetics Awareness Week.
Allow us to introduce you to some of the genetic champions at Baylor Genetics!
Meet the Genetic Champions at Baylor Genetics
Dr. Qin Sun, Sr. Division Director, Biochemical Genetics
Dr. Qin Sun is the Senior Division Director of Biochemical Genetics at Baylor Genetics. In addition, Dr. Sun is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine.
Growing up in a family of physicians, Dr. Sun had the opportunity to witness firsthand the invaluable impact that pediatricians have on their young patients. The exceptional patient care provided by many role models in his profession inspires him to work diligently each day and remain dedicated.
Q: The theme of Medical Genetics Awareness Week is “Celebrating the Contributions of the Entire Medical Genetics Team to Patient Care and Public Health.” How has genetic testing advanced in recent years, and what in your opinion, are the contributions of the medical genetics team to patient care?
A: As a geneticist, it is an exhilarating time with the exponential growth of genetic discoveries, more affordable and faster genetic testing, and the wider application of multi-omics functional technologies. Here at Baylor Genetics, we are pioneering clinical metabolomics, along with other biochemical functional assays, to offer a comprehensive metabolic screening for patients. Our function tests, combined with WES and WGS studies, provide physicians with better variant interpretation, ultimately improving patient care. Our laboratory is committed to providing the highest quality clinical biochemical testing services to healthcare providers and patients worldwide. Additionally, we collaborate with academic and pharmaceutical partners to offer research and contract research organization lab services.
Q: Medical Genetics Awareness Week is a week dedicated to medical geneticists, laboratory geneticists, genetic counselors, nurses, and physician assistants for their dedication to patient care. Why do you feel this is important? Can you bring to light the critical role they (you) play in healthcare?
A: At Baylor Genetics, we handle patient data that has the potential to impact healthcare decisions, and as such, we adhere to the highest quality standards. We treat each sample with the same care and attention that we would give to samples collected from our own family members.
Q: How do you feel that you are a “champion” for medical genetics?
A: Working alongside many great champions in the field of genetics is a tremendous honor. Every day, there are new discoveries published on treatments for devastating diseases or new methods for diagnosing diseases. We are committed to continuously improving laboratory diagnosis and providing the best possible service to our patients.
Lance Cooper, Sr. Director, Cytogenetics
Lance Cooper is the Senior Director of Lab Operations for the cytogenetics and microarray divisions at Baylor Genetics. He has over 30 years of experience working in cytogenetics, with 20 of those years being at Baylor Genetics. He is a native Texan who graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station with a bachelor’s in biomedical science.
One of Lance’s fulfilling activities is being a member of a BBQ cookoff team. Additionally, he finds it rewarding to assist the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation by providing a fun-filled day at the rodeo cookoff and carnival for more than 100 children and their families. His hobbies include running, hunting, golfing, and coaching his girls tee ball and soccer teams.
Q: The theme of Medical Genetics Awareness Week is “Celebrating the Contributions of the Entire Medical Genetics Team to Patient Care and Public Health.” How has genetic testing advanced in recent years, and what in your opinion, are the contributions of the medical genetics team to patient care?
A: Genetic testing has advanced from looking at chromosomes to sequencing the genome. The ability to analyze a person’s DNA structure and provide answers is far advanced from where the technology was 15 years ago. This has led to more accurate diagnosis of genetic conditions that help to provide answers for patients in order to provide the best care for them.
Q: Medical Genetics Awareness Week is a week dedicated to medical geneticists, laboratory geneticists, genetic counselors, nurses, and physician assistants for their dedication to patient care. Why do you feel this is important? Can you bring to light the critical role they (you) play in healthcare?
A: The answers we provide help so many patients who otherwise would not know what is going on with them. This is crucial in helping direct their ongoing care and gives the physicians direction in how to manage that care.
Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
A: Helping people find answers to their medical questions. That is what this job basically comes down to and it is the most rewarding.
Dr. Dipali Dhawan, Sr. Director, Clinical Operations
Dr. Dipali Dhawan is the Senior Director of Clinical Operations at Baylor Genetics and is responsible for the daily operations of the specimen management division, DNA extraction core, next-generation sequencing and molecular labs. She has a master’s degree in molecular and genetic medicine, a PhD in biotechnology, and postdoctoral experience in breast cancer stem cells.
Her curiosity in the genetic basis of disease, combined with her education and research in translational genomic medicine, fueled the passion for her career in genetics. Originally from India, Dr. Dhawan’s hobbies include painting and crafts.
Q: The theme of Medical Genetics Awareness Week is “Celebrating the Contributions of the Entire Medical Genetics Team to Patient Care and Public Health.” How has genetic testing advanced in recent years, and what in your opinion, are the contributions of the medical genetics team to patient care?
A: There has been a lot of progress in the field of genetic testing with advanced technologies and more affordable testing options. The improvements in interpretation and correlation have enabled an increase in the diagnostic yield enabling better patient care.
Q: What are some of the challenges that healthcare professionals face in the field of medical genetics? In your opinion, what are the solutions?
A: Some of the challenges in this field include scarcity of trained professionals and the lack of technological resources for analysis of data. The solution for this challenge could be promoting education and training in genetics for healthcare professionals and the formation of multi-disciplinary teams.
Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
A: Professional fulfilment of being able to contribute towards better healthcare decisions for patients by providing high quality and timely genetic testing results.
Peng Li, Manager, Automation
Peng Li is Baylor Genetics’ Automation Manager with over 15 years of experience in designing and implementing automated liquid handling platforms. In this role, her focus is on developing and implementing innovative solutions to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and reduce errors.
Q: The theme of Medical Genetics Awareness Week is “Celebrating the Contributions of the Entire Medical Genetics Team to Patient Care and Public Health.” How has genetic testing advanced in recent years, and what in your opinion, are the contributions of the medical genetics team to patient care?
A: Automation of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has advanced significantly, which allows more efficient and accurate processing of genetic samples and improves patient care. As part of the medical genetics team, the lab automation team designs and implements automated systems for testing workflows, minimizing errors and turnaround times, and ensuring accurate results.
Q: Medical Genetics Awareness Week is a week dedicated to medical geneticists, laboratory geneticists, genetic counselors, nurses, and physician assistants for their dedication to patient care. Why do you feel this is important? Can you bring to light the critical role they (you) play in healthcare?
A: It is an important way to raise awareness about the field of medical genetics and to acknowledge the significant contributions of these professionals to patient care and public health. As lab automation professionals, we are helping to bring upfront technologies to healthcare.
Q: What are some of the challenges that healthcare professionals face in the field of medical genetics? In your opinion, what are the solutions?
A: Some of the challenges include the cost and complexity of test procedures and scaling using automation remain a challenge. One of the possible solutions is to increase awareness of the field to attract workforce talent from a diverse academic background.
Robert Rigobello, Senior Genetic Counselor
Robert Rigobello is a Senior Genetic Counselor on the Medical Affairs team and has been a genetic counselor for over 5 years. In this role, he helps answer questions from healthcare providers about testing and reviews patient results after testing is completed. Robert is also involved in sample triage to ensure Baylor Genetics is performing the proper testing for sensitive patient samples.
Q: Medical Genetics Awareness Week is a week dedicated to medical geneticists, laboratory geneticists, genetic counselors, nurses, and physician assistants for their dedication to patient care. Why do you feel this is important?
A: Medical genetics is a complicated field that requires a lot of specialized knowledge and the ability to translate information to different audiences. Given many conditions are inherited, it is also a field where working with not just patients, but oftentimes their families, is crucial to figuring out why someone might be experiencing symptoms. All these things require professionals who, day in and out, are ready to help patients navigate complicated situations.
Q: How do you feel that you are a “champion” for medical genetics?
A: I have spent my career helping patients and healthcare providers navigate the process of genetic testing, from before a sample is even collected from a patient to explaining results and coordinating testing for family members. I think it is crucial that individuals, families, and care teams interfacing with medical genetics have someone on the laboratory side who is there to provide guidance through everything and makes the process as transparent and easy to understand as possible.
Q: What made you choose a career in genetics?
A: I was drawn to genetics after taking a class in college on it. It’s a rapidly growing field that I think we are far from knowing everything about, which makes it easy to get involved in projects that contribute to everyone’s understanding. With medical genetics, specifically, I find that this is specialty that sits at the crossroads of having very complicated technical topics and psychosocial and ethnical challenges, which makes every question or situation feel like a unique challenge that is rewarding to tackle.
Sydney Lau, Genetic Counselor
Sydney Lau is a Laboratory Genetic Counselor on the Medical Affairs team. Originally from Canada, she currently resides in New York City where she has lived for the past 6 years. Sydney has always loved genetics and education/teaching. She chose genetic counseling so she could constantly be learning about new things in our fast-paced field while helping providers and patients understand results and risks.
Some of Sydney’s hobbies include hanging out with her menagerie of pets, playing video games with her friends, and dancing the night away at live music events.
Q: The theme of Medical Genetics Awareness Week is “Celebrating the Contributions of the Entire Medical Genetics Team to Patient Care and Public Health.” How has genetic testing advanced in recent years, and what in your opinion, are the contributions of the medical genetics team to patient care?
A: One significant way genetic testing has advanced in recent years is by cost; due to better (but still not ideal) insurance coverage and lower patient-pay prices, genetic testing has become more accessible to individuals who need it. The medical genetics team is essential to helping healthcare providers who may not be as familiar with genetic testing interpret and order the best tests for their patients.
Q: Medical Genetics Awareness Week is a week dedicated to medical geneticists, laboratory geneticists, genetic counselors, nurses, and physician assistants for their dedication to patient care. Why do you feel this is important? Can you bring to light the critical role they (you) play in healthcare?
A: Medical genetics can be a small part of many other larger and better-known specialties (e.g., neuro, cardio, pediatrics, etc.) and with many of them ordering genetic testing but unsure how to interpret/what to order, we (genetic counselors) play a crucial role in patient education even if we never see those patients personally.
Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
A: I love my team! We’re a small but mighty group. And everyone I work with here are so nice and friendly
We hope that our interview with the genetic experts and champions at Baylor Genetics has given you valuable insights into the crucial role of genetics in patient care and public health. We are grateful for all of our champions who shared their expertise with us.
For over 40 years, Baylor Genetics has been the leading pioneer in genetic testing with a commitment to enhancing patient care through genetics. Our genetic testing services provide accurate and comprehensive genetic information and play a critical role in driving advances in personalized medicine and precision healthcare.
To partner with Baylor Genetics, please visit: https://www.baylorgenetics.com/partnerships/
