1. What were the factors which influenced the development of genetic counseling as a profession in the United States?
In 1969, Melissa Richter founded the first master’s degree genetic counseling program at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. It was mentioned that Richter foresaw the “budding niche” for specialists trained in laboratory, statistical, and psychological aspects of human genetics.
It was the tremendous gap between knowledge and service which kickstarted the founding of the genetic counseling program.
The “quantum jump” in the interaction between genetic services and the public, partly because of screening programs along with subsequent surveys, highlighted the greater need for genetic counseling versus the current “supply” of counselors.
The increased interest in genetic counseling also stemmed from the perceived need for public education. At the time, it was clear that many individuals were not aware of the existence of genetic counseling services or at least how such services could benefit them.
By 1973, genetic counselors were already discussing the need for a professional society in America. Graduates and students at Sarah Lawrence College conferred with Joan Marks about a professional society.
After much debate and discussions on who were to be considered “genetic counselors”, the scope of practice, membership criteria, regional representation, the By-Laws committee endorsed the title of “genetic counselors” and named the society “the National Society of Genetic Counselors” (NSGC). The NSGC was able to adopt a definition of a genetic counselor’s role. And the rest is history.
2. Comparing with the situation in the Philippines, how different would you think the course of development of genetic counseling would be in the country? Explain.
In the Philippines, the delivery of medical genetic services remains to be the foremost challenge. This is aggravated by the shortage of geneticists and genetic counselors.
The development of genetic counseling in our country is definitely different from America’s in the sense that as a developing middle-income country we simply cannot move fast enough. For instance, it was mentioned that congenital anomalies and other genetic diseases are among the top ten causes of infant mortality in the Philippines. And yet, limited attention is given to these. The burden of these conditions on our population is quite significant yet our facilities are lacking.
Access to genetic services is another issue worth looking into. The barriers identified include financial, geographical, lack of awareness, compromised access to services, and lack of geneticists and genetic counselors. Also owing to the fact that the field of Clinical Genetics is not a popular profession at this time. Difficulties exist for research and integration of health services into our public health system. In order for medical genetics to flourish in our country and keep up with the increasing demand, a lot of support would be needed from the government and the community.