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Creation and utility of ‘Boston Minority Genetic Counselors’
Author(s) -
Berro Tala,
Amir Fatima,
ChanSmutko Gayun,
Lawrence Janette,
Channaoui Nadine
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of genetic counseling
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1573-3599
pISSN - 1059-7700
DOI - 10.1002/jgc4.1268
Subject(s) - genetic counseling , inclusion (mineral) , context (archaeology) , diversity (politics) , psychology , sociology , public relations , political science , social psychology , genetics , law , paleontology , biology
The genetic counseling profession began shortly after the Civil Rights Movement, before effective strategies for inclusion of racial minorities had emerged. Given the historical context of the field and the continued lack of diversity in the professional body, inclusion among genetic counselors of social minority backgrounds is important to examine and address. A group of genetic counselors in the Boston area with social minority backgrounds initiated the Boston Minority Genetic Counselors (BMGC) group to bolster interconnection and support for themselves and their local genetic counselors and trainees of social minority backgrounds. In this paper, we describe the formation of the BMGC and its ongoing work. Future directions include using the BMGC model and/or that of similar organizations, such as the Minority Genetic Professionals Network, as a template to create similar genetic counseling groups that provide support around topics of social minority identities and promote sentiments of inclusion across the profession.