Sharon Chan, MS, CGC, MPH, is excited to serve as an ambassador for ABGC through her new position as a Board director. Her two decades of contribution to the genetic counseling profession have made an impact. Currently, she works as director for Sutter Health’s genetics program. Here, she has expanded the value and reach of CGCs — for example, through the annual Know Your Genes event, a CGC-led philanthropy program that provides genetic counseling and testing to underserved populations in Northern California. Prior to this role, she worked as a clinical genetic counselor in various health systems. Her combined experience has allowed her to connect the dots on political, financial and administrative reasons that drive or hinder the growth of genetic counseling services.
As a CGC and now as a Board member, Chan is passionate about upholding high standards of competence for CGCs. She says, “As my personal career as well as the GC profession as a whole evolve, I have witnessed ABGC's intentional efforts to make timely decisions and take appropriate actions based on changing needs, ultimately benefiting the CGC community and the people we serve. As a firm believer in ABGC's mission, I hope to use my experience and skills to further the organization's goals.”
Chan is also passionate about inclusivity. Her aim is to encourage people from a wide range of backgrounds and with diverse perspectives to join the profession, which she believes will elevate the profession’s talent pool and allow us to work toward diversifying career opportunities for CGCs.
The future of the profession is of key interest to her. In her work life, she supervises externships and teaches courses both in the U.S. and in Hong Kong. Doing so has strengthened her cultural competency, which she practices in her professional role. She encourages fellow CGCs to think beyond individual patients and to use genetics expertise to improve health outcomes for entire communities.
Amy Shikany, MS, CGC, is a valuable member of the ABGC leadership team, having most recently served on our Certification and Education Committee (CEC), lending her voice to important work developing in the industry. Prior to this, she volunteered as an item writer, contributing items based on her area of practice (cardiovascular genetics). She shares, “I fell in love with the writing process, and enjoyed the personal connection I made with mentors on the CEC. I knew I was contributing to an exam that was reflective of my own valuable clinical experiences.” Now, she brings this background and passion to her position as a director on the ABGC Board.
Shikany began her career as a biology major when she worked in the genetics lab at the National Zoo, spending her days extracting DNA from various large animal poo. Upon graduation, she worked in a neuroanatomy lab, but realized she wasn’t cut out for lab work. This led her to studying genetic counseling at Sarah Lawrence College, and she started her first position as a GC at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center — a position she retains 14 years later.
As a Board member, Shikany resonates particularly with ABGC’s core value of responsiveness, which involves recognizing and taking action based on emerging needs within the field. Her long-term goal is to uphold this value amid the shifting landscape of the profession, continuing to guide Diplomates by improving communication and education opportunities. She is particularly interested in expanding the informational resources available to exam candidates, Diplomates and educational training programs around the Certification Examination.
She is passionate about the initiatives led by the Board and DEIJ Committee as well as ensuring that participation in the certification practice analysis — which happens every five to seven years — reflects a broad genetic counselor workforce and our diverse scope of practice.