#10- Family Health History: Communication and Decision Making

DNA Dialogues: Conversations in Genetic Counseling Research

In this episode we discuss two papers that highlight the importance of communication around family health history and the influence of family beliefs on genetic testing decisions. You can find the Journal of Genetic Counseling webpage via onlinelibrary.wiley.com or via the National Society of Genetic Counselors website.

Segment 1: ““Family health beliefs and cascade genetic testing in Asian families with hereditary cancer risk: “Okay, now what?””

Leena Tran began her career as a cancer genetic counselor at Cedars-Sinai in 2022, after completing her Master's of Science in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling at Stanford University. Originally from Southern California, she is grateful to have the opportunity to work with patients and providers within the greater Los Angeles area. Leena is passionate about facilitating both provider and patient-directed education, as well as improving health care access and experiences for patients of diverse backgrounds.

In This Segment We Discuss:

- The motivation behind exploring family health beliefs and cascade genetic testing in Asian families with hereditary cancer risk..

- Use of a constructivist approach in this study and rationale for choosing this methodology.

- Influence of shared health beliefs within families on decisions regarding genetic testing and family communication.

- Common strategies participants employed to discuss genetic testing with their relatives.

- Roles genetics providers play in facilitating family discussions about cascade genetic testing.

Segment 2: “Young adults' reasoning for involving a parent in a genomic decision-making research study”

Dr. Melanie Myers is a Professor in the Division of Human Genetics, in the Department of Pediatrics, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She is the Co-Director of the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling, a joint program between the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Dr. Myers has a background in public health genomics with specific training in genetic counseling, public health, social and behavioral sciences, and applied epidemiology. Her research interests include the impact of integrating genomics into public health research and practice. Dr. Myers’s current NIH-funded work focuses on empowering adolescents from diverse backgrounds to participate in the decision-making process about learning genomic results. Myers obtained her MS in genetic counseling from the University of Cincinnati and her PhD in public health from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.

www.cincinnatichildrens.org/geneticcounselingprogram

Julia Pascal is an oncology genetic counselor at Virginia Cancer Specialists. She earned her masters in genetic counseling from the University of Cincinnati genetic counseling program in 2023. Originally from the Washington DC area, Julia is grateful for the opportunity to care for cancer patients in the community where she grew up.

In This Segment We Discuss:

- Unique aspects of young adults' approaches to medical decisions compared to those of older adults.

- Influence of cognitive maturity on young adults' readiness to make independent health decisions, particularly in complex fields like genomics.

- Challenges encountered in designing a study that addresses both autonomous decision-making and parental influence.

- Role of healthcare providers in supporting young adults' transition to independent decision-making.

Stay tuned for the next new episode of DNA Dialogues! In the meantime, listen to all our episodes Apple Podcasts, Spotify, streaming on the website, or any other podcast player by searching, “DNA Dialogues”.

For more information about this episode visit dna dialogues.podbean.com, where you can also stream all episodes of the show. Check out the Journal of Genetic Counseling here for articles featured in this episode and others.

Any questions, episode ideas, guest pitches, or comments can be sent into [email protected].

DNA Dialogues’ team includes Jehannine Austin, Naomi Wagner, Khalida Liaquat, Kate Wilson, and DNA Today’s Kira Dineen. Our logo was designed by Ashlyn Enokian. Our current intern is Sydney Arlen.