Author Archives: Robert Resta
Corporate Sponsorship and Genetic Counseling: Questions and Suggestions
In two previous postings (Blind Spot and Are We There Yet?), I discussed my concerns regarding the potential for conflict of interest in genetic counseling. In this posting I address the complicated relationship between corporate sponsorship and the genetic counseling … Continue reading
Filed under Robert Resta
Are We There Yet?
Everybody Needs Genetic Testing! The Annual Education Conference of the National Society of Genome Service Specialists (NSGSS) Proud Sponsors: UneedaTest, Inc.; TestAll!, Inc; Twist-of-Fate, Inc; RLKVirchow Pathogenomics, Inc.; BraveNew Analytics, Inc.; AfterLife Genetics, Inc. Faculty: Speakers will be chosen by our Corporate … Continue reading
Filed under Robert Resta
Three Counseling Tip-lets To Make Your Job Easier
I am ashamed to admit that despite 29 years as a genetic counselor I have shockingly little in the way of great insights to pass on to colleagues. I have not developed cohesive counseling theories to guide the practice of … Continue reading
Filed under Robert Resta
Why We Love Genetics: A Group Post by The Staff of The DNA Exchange
We suspect that many genetic counselors out there got hooked on genetics by an intriguing bit of information, something that grabbed your attention and made you say “Hey, that’s pretty cool. I want to learn more about this field.” Sure … Continue reading
Blind Spot: Genetic Counselors and Financial Conflict of Interest
Many people don’t know that the human eye has a blind spot in its field of vision. There is a part of the world that we are literally blind to. The problem is, sometimes our blind spots shield us from … Continue reading
Filed under Robert Resta
The Implicit Judeo-Christian Ethic of Pedigree Nomenclature
I am unabashedly the pedigree’s biggest fan.* Although those new-fangled ”-omics” testing technologies may soon surpass the analytic power of the pedigree, I suspect that pedigrees will be a critical part of genetic counseling for … Continue reading
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Sense, Missense, and Nonsense: A Word Nerd’s Freewheeling Take On The Vocabulary of Genetics
I proudly admit to being a Word Nerd, a hound who sniffs a trail on a random dictionary page for the sheer pleasure of flushing out obscure words. Today’s finds were haček, hachure, and hackbut. So let me combine two … Continue reading
Filed under Robert Resta
The Unusual Suspects: Wedgwood Pottery, The Canals of England, And The Death of God
God is dead…..And we have killed him. – Friedrich Nietzsche Nietzsche’s madman infamously proclaimed the demise of God in his 1882 work The Gay Science. Nietzsche was presumably dramatizing the idea that belief in God and the pervasive influence of … Continue reading
Filed under Robert Resta
Priorities For The Genetic Counseling Profession For The Next Decade
Lately I have been thinking about the future of genetic counseling and where the profession should be heading. What with busy work schedules, institutional budget crises driven by a shaky economy , and the emotional burdens of caring for our … Continue reading
Filed under Robert Resta
