Scientists finished sequencing the human genome in 2003, the same year that Amy Swanson,who completed her graduate degree in the Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics with an emphasis on genetic counseling at the University of Minnesota, began working as a genetic counselor. The trove of data that resulted from the Human Genome Project offers nearly limitless potential to develop genetic tests. Swanson is at the vanguard of what is likely to be a boom in demand for healthcare workers trained to interpret the results and guide patients through the emotional and ethical gauntlet that sometimes follows.
As an undergraduate, Swanson had considered medical school like many of her College of Biological Sciences peers, but decided that committing to so many years of training was not right for her. So she went back to the drawing board. Swanson knew she loved genetics. “It’s science and it’s logical and it makes sense and it’s fascinating,” she says. But after spending time in a research lab as an undergraduate she also knew she wanted to work with people. Genetic counseling offered the best of both worlds. Swanson says, “I get a lot more patient contact than any physician I know. I end up feeling that I am useful to my patients because I can really get to know them.”
Genetic counselors can specialize in a variety of areas from pediatrics to cancer. Swanson counsels patients with high-risk pregnancies at a clinic associated with the University of California, San Francisco. She moved to the Bay Area two years ago after several years at Foedert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee where she set up a genetic counseling program. In her role as a genetic counselor, Swanson looks at a variety of factors from the age of the mother to family history for genetic red flags. “I am fascinated by pregnancy. … It’s amazing to me. I loved learning about reproduction in school—embryology and developmental biology—and then taking it a step further and looking at the ways it doesn’t work out.”
If you are interested in becoming a Genetic Counselor, check out more information about our program at the U of M Graduate Program of Study in Genetic Counseling!
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