NSGConnect

Hi all – I wanted to open a conversation about Affirmative Action.

I am by no means a legal expert and I am not affiliated with any particular genetic counseling program or admissions committee, but I am a mentor in many spaces and an advocate for setting prospective students up for success.

The current application cycle has begun and I recently found out that in addition to the federal ruling against Affirmative Action, there are even stricter state policies emerging that are directly impacting GC programs. 

These policies, in certain states, include the prohibition of the words "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (or pretty much any synonym you can think of) in program materials, websites, mission and vision statements – all of which contradict the current ACGC Standards of Accreditation. Beyond that, some of these bills are going on to discuss if/how programs can: offer DEI training to supervisors and students; create/maintain diversity-focused scholarships, stipends, and Match tracks; and most importantly how they talk ("oral diversity statements") about their work to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging within the program.

I have ideas on an individual level regarding what I and other unaffiliated genetic counselors can potentially do, but I recognize that to organize larger-scale efforts to support prospective students, our colleagues within GC programs, and the DEI work that has been done in our field up until this point, will be a grassroots effort - if those efforts are needed at all. 

A non-exhaustive summary of thoughts on how we can help, from one genetic counselor to a few thousand: to help our program-affiliated colleagues prepare for the upcoming changes they might face from their universities in light of the federal and state legislation, maybe we need to be the ones to educate prospective students about how to find information on higher education affirmative action policies in states with programs they are applying to by:

• Having conversations – offering our time to discuss DEI efforts of our alma maters
• Creating a resource – document or webinar
• Preparing them on who and how to ask questions about DEI
• Mentoring 

There are many more ways to support DEI in genetic counseling programs. We are all stakeholders here and I hope this post will get everyone thinking about what we can do to help. 

Here are two meetings for open discussion of ideas, organization, and next steps. Hoping for optimal attendance between the two and more options in the future! 

Monday, October 16th at 5 PM CST (NSGC week)

https://hcaconnect.webex.com/hcaconnect/j.php?MTID=mc6de44ff4f102e07217bcc5c3d4e0520

Phone: +1-415-655-0001

Access Code: 2662 073 8523

Thursday, November 2nd at 10 AM CST 

https://hcaconnect.webex.com/hcaconnect/j.php?MTID=mfac0162674e9b21bdf2bffba851319ea

Phone: +1-415-655-0001

Access Code: 2664 977 4621

Hi all – I wanted to open a conversation about Affirmative Action.

I am by no means a legal expert and I am not affiliated with any particular genetic counseling program or admissions committee, but I am a mentor in many spaces and an advocate for setting prospective students up for success.

The current application cycle has begun and I recently found out that in addition to the federal ruling against Affirmative Action, there are even stricter state policies emerging that are directly impacting GC programs. 

These policies, in certain states, include the prohibition of the words "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (or pretty much any synonym you can think of) in program materials, websites, mission and vision statements – all of which contradict the current ACGC Standards of Accreditation. Beyond that, some of these bills are going on to discuss if/how programs can: offer DEI training to supervisors and students; create/maintain diversity-focused scholarships, stipends, and Match tracks; and most importantly how they talk ("oral diversity statements") about their work to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging within the program.

I have ideas on an individual level regarding what I and other unaffiliated genetic counselors can potentially do, but I recognize that to organize larger-scale efforts to support prospective students, our colleagues within GC programs, and the DEI work that has been done in our field up until this point, will be a grassroots effort - if those efforts are needed at all. 

A non-exhaustive summary of thoughts on how we can help, from one genetic counselor to a few thousand: to help our program-affiliated colleagues prepare for the upcoming changes they might face from their universities in light of the federal and state legislation, maybe we need to be the ones to educate prospective students about how to find information on higher education affirmative action policies in states with programs they are applying to by:

• Having conversations – offering our time to discuss DEI efforts of our alma maters
• Creating a resource – document or webinar
• Preparing them on who and how to ask questions about DEI
• Mentoring 

There are many more ways to support DEI in genetic counseling programs. We are all stakeholders here and I hope this post will get everyone thinking about what we can do to help.