ABGC Spotlight: Amy Donahue

Amy Donahue is a certified genetic counselor (CGC) specializing in Neurology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Endocrinology, and Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin. She has a BA in Mathematics and Russian, and a Master of Library and Information Sciences, and a BS in Biology. 

A recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin- Madison's genetic counseling program, Amy transitioned into the field of genetic counseling after working as a Medical Librarian in both hospital and academic settings. She left her job as the User Education Librarian at the Medical College of Wisconsin to take her pre-requisites for genetic counseling, and returned four years later as a certified genetic counselor.

Amy’s motivation for becoming a certified genetic counselor stems from her passion for patient advocacy.
 
“My primary motivation is helping patients go through things that are hard or tough to understand. My academic motivation was to become an expert in an area to help patients understand what was happening.”
 Amy Donahue, CGC
 
Amy’s desire to enter into the field of genetic counseling and advocate for patients also stems from her personal experience of losing both her sister and a close friend to glioblastoma.

Outside of her specialty, Amy is a listed provider for GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality, a directory for patients in need of healthcare providers who are open to helping patients in the LGBTQ community. She is also a member of the Medical Libraries Association, which helps her stay up to date on patient health literacy issues and the latest information technology.