Stewarding the Genetic Counseling Profession: A Message From the ABGC Board President
I am very honored to have the opportunity to serve as president of the American Board of Genetic Counseling and to represent our nearly 7,000 Diplomates. This year marks my 30th year as a genetic counselor. A lot has changed since I graduated in 1994, to say the least. At that time, cancer genetic counseling was just emerging as a specialty, and most cancer genetic testing was still done under research protocols. In prenatal genetic counseling practice, we were just starting to transition maternal serum screening from the double screen to the triple screen. Genetic testing was available for just a few hundred genes and was largely driven by phenotype. We were years away from chromosomal microarrays, next generation sequencing and cell-free fetal DNA screening. Investigations into enzyme replacement and gene therapies were in their infancy.
It is really pretty remarkable how rapidly our knowledge and skill base must evolve in this profession. As such, it is critically important that ABGC ensures the CGC credential represents evolving competence in genetic counseling. Since our CGC credential is a requirement of state licensure laws, the stakes are even higher. One of my motivations to serve on the ABGC board of directors was to contribute to efforts to evaluate and refine (as needed) what initial and continuing competence looks like in genetic counseling. A second motivation was to help key people involved, like state licensure boards, institutional credentialing committees and the public, recognize the value of the CGC credential.
But let’s be honest, the last 18 months have been challenging for all of us. We made the difficult decision to leave our previous management company because they were no longer providing the level of service the organization, our candidates and our Diplomates needed. For similar reasons, we made the decision to seek a new testing vendor. In the midst of all of this, we launched an exam based on a new job analysis and content outline. That’s a lot of change in a short period of time, and as you may have experienced, despite our best efforts, the transitions were not seamless.
But I am hopeful and confident that you will start to see the benefits of these changes. We are streamlining the processes by which candidates apply to sit for the ABGC Certification Examination and by which Diplomates recertify. Our first exam cycle with our new test vendor, Prometric, in March was very successful. We are working on new ways for Diplomates to demonstrate continued competence (recertification). We are working on several strategies to evaluate and promote inclusive examination processes. Later this year, we will be developing our new strategic plan which will include enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in all aspects of our work. The ABGC Board and staff are completely committed to supporting all of our candidates and Diplomates and continuing to ensure that the CGC credential is associated with excellence in genetic counseling.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your ABGC president. In my years as a CGC, I’ve seen our profession and the counselors propelling it impact so many lives, and I’m honored to steward the future of the profession alongside the ABGC Board and all our Diplomates.
Sincerely,
Angie Trepanier, MS, CGC
ABGC Board President