MSc with Honours in Genetic Counselling School of Biomedical & Physical Sciences

1. MSc with Honours in Genetic CounsellingSchool of Biomedical & Physical Sciences Brisbane, Australia Program Convenor: Dr Madelyn Peterson BPharm MA(Ethics) PhD FHGSA, m.peterson@griffith.edu.au GC program offered since 1996 PROGRAM BASICS & ASSESSMENT FACULTY Program Convenor: Dr Madelyn Peterson BPharm MA(Ethics) PhD FHGSA, m.peterson@griffith.edu.au Clinical Advisor: Associate Professor Michael Gabbett MSc MBBS RACP FHGSA, m.gabbett@griffith.edu.au; Associate Lecturer: Ms Linda Humphreys MSc (Hons) l.humphreys@griffith.edu.au Research Coordinator: Clinical Coordinator: ACCREDITATION Professional Body: Human Genetics Society of Australasia (HGSA) www.hgsa.org.au Committee: HGSA Board of Censors Guidelines: https://www.hgsa.org.au/website/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/2010GL01-Masters-Programs.pdf INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION Student exchange supported. GU has hosted students from USA in recent years for clinical rotation at Genetic Health Queensland and so+gi (Specialised Obstetric & Gynaecological Imaging). We are keen to send GU students to USA, Canada and UK for 5 week rotations from 2012. Program development: We would like to acknowledge practical support for our Masters program development from the following program directors: Margaret Sahhar, University of Melbourne Bonnie LeRoy, University of Minnesota Carol Walton, University of Colorado Resource sharing: Willing to share resources such as curricula, assessment strategies etc. Program length: 5 semesters over 2 years YEAR 1 PRESCRIBED TEXTS • LeRoy, BS, Veach PM, & Bartels, DM (2010) Genetic Counseling Practice: Advanced Concepts and Skills • Uhlmann, WR, Schuette, JL & Yashar, B (2009) A Guide to Genetic Counseling, • Weil J (2000). Psychosocial Genetic Counselling. • Nussbaum R, McInnes R & Willard H (2007) Thompson & Thompson Geneticsin Medicine • Harper, PS (2010) Practical Genetic Counselling RECOMMENDED TEXTS • Veach PM, LeRoy, BS & Bartels, DM (2003) Facilitating the Genetic Counseling Process: A Practice Manual • Evans C (2006) Genetic Counselling: A Psychological Approach • Gaff, CL & Bylund, CL (Eds) 2010 Family Communication about Genetics: Theory and Practice. ALUMNI Graduates: ~ 120 since 1996 Employment in: Public Health Clinical Genetics Services, Familial Cancer Registries, Private Prenatal Services, Research (co-ordinators and PhD students), Education, Health Policy or Administration, IVF Services, Pathology Laboratory Services, other areas of counselling. OUR STUDENTS • Number enrolled per year: 6 • Undergraduate backgrounds accepted: Science (majority), health, psychology, social work, behavioural science. • Selection process: Written application, formal statement & interview. Short-list of applicants for interview by panel (Program Convenor, Academic , Clinical Professional & Administration Officer) • Academic +/- experiential prerequisites: Appropriate undergraduate degree (convenor approval) with GPA of at least 5.0 on scale of 1-7. Counselling experience or voluntary community work desirable but not mandatory. • Nationality and /or ethnocultural backgrounds of students: Mainly Caucasian Australasians, usually one International student each year – most often from India. YEAR 2 FUTURE PLANS / CHALLENGES We are interested in developing a Professional Doctorate program and aiming for ABGC Program accreditation down the track. OTHER INTERESTING FACTS We are fortunate to have two very experienced ABGC Certified Genetic Counselors as part of our faculty of clinical teachers OTHER PROGRAMS OFFERED • Graduate Certificate in Applied Clinical Genetics • Graduate Diploma in Applied Clinical Genetics • Masters of Science in Applied Clinical Genetics RESEARCH PROJECTS Students undertake a one year Masters level Honours project in an area of relevance to clinical genetics. They must submit a thesis of around 40,000 words for examination.