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Prospective Genetic Counselors Benefit from Summer Internship

published on Monday, November 2, 2009

The summer 2009 internship students spent a week
learning more about the field of genetic counseling.

The annual summer internship program offered by the Center for Genetic Medicine’s Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling provided a new group of undergraduate and high school students with a first-hand look at the field.

Program director Cathy Wicklund and assistant director Judy Schiffman established the summer session in 2008 to enhance interest in the growing profession of genetic counseling. For the past two years, between 10 and 15 applicants from various scientific backgrounds have been selected for the first week of the program. Their five-day experience includes seminars, educational movies and hands-on fieldtrips, covering topics such as ethical and psychosocial issues, graduate school preparation, and alternative paths for genetic counselors. Two to four exceptional students are also selected to spend an additional week shadowing in the field.

There has been a great deal of enthusiasm from summer interns who complete the program to continue on with genetic counseling studies. Mallory Lyon, undergraduate student at Millikin University in Decatur, IL, will graduate with her BS in biology this December. While researching the field online and searching for hands-on experience, Lyon was directed to Northwestern’s summer internship. She was then selected for the two-week program, during which she deepened her understanding of the field through shadowing, lectures, and discussion with professionals and peers interested in the field.

“Going into the program,” Lyon said, “I was still considering whether I wanted to pursue a career in genetic counseling. The only information that I had about the profession came from online sources. Now, coming out of the program, I am absolutely positive that I will continue my path to becoming a genetic counselor. Everything I heard and saw was exactly what I was hoping the career would offer”.

For more information on the program and application process, visit the graduate program's website here.