Genetic Counselor, HG-Adult Genetics Clinic

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?
With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you'll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career! 

JOB SUMMARY
The McDermott Center serves as the Center for Human Genetics at UTSW and provides expertise and resources for clinicians and basic scientists to identify genes and sequence variations that contribute to human diseases and traits. If your career ambitions include working in higher education with world leaders in clinical genetics and genetic research, we have an opening for a bright, energetic person to work and grow their career as a Genetic Counselor in the McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development.

The selected candidate will join an experienced team with an Adult Genetics MD and three Genetic Counselors in the Internal Medicine Adult Genetics Clinic, with primary roles in research and partnering to launch and implement a population sequencing project (see below). UT Southwestern has launched the Sequencing Populations to Accelerate Research and Care (SPARC) program, a transformative initiative designed to create an institutional biobank and perform whole-exome sequencing on up to 150,000 patients across our Health System. SPARC will accelerate use of genetic data to improve screening for important genetic risk factors and help advance application of these data into practice to improve the care of patients and their families. Working with SPARC project leadership, this position will help define return-of-results processes for SPARC and develop the initial content (scripts, reports, etc.) needed for the first phase of return of results. The position will also support a cascade screening research project, developing methods for identifying at-risk individuals with familial hypercholesterolemia and providing pre-test counseling, facilitation of testing, and post-test counseling with custom-made software and AI tools.

The position has flexibility to provide coverage for the Adult Genetics clinic which includes seeing patients in conjunction with MD visits and independently with MD oversight in both in-person and telehealth settings. The adult clinic sees all non-cancer and non-prenatal indications for genetic diagnosis. There is also a large metabolic genetic population that is managed longitudinally. This position is 100% on campus.

 

BENEFITS
UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer
• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Required

• Education
  Master's Degree from board accredited program in genetics 
   

• Licenses and Certifications
  (ABGC-CGC) CERTIFIED GENETIC COUNSELOR by American Board of Medical Genetics or American Board of Genetic Counseling within 1 Year 
   

Preferred

• Experience
  2 years of related experience 
   

JOB DUTIES

•  Serve as a core member of the SPARC operational team to identify, curate, and prioritize the list of genes and conditions for return of results to SPARC participants.

• Develop and maintain educational materials, counseling scripts, and result reports to support return-of-results activities for the SPARC project.

• As the first genetic counselor embedded within the SPARC program, contribute to a broad range of activities required to launch, implement, and scale a large population genomic screening initiative.

• Leverage advanced software and AI technologies to enhance efficiency and accuracy in genetic counseling within cascade screening research. As part of cascade screening research protocols, the genetic counselor will manage and oversee customized software and AI-driven tools to streamline genetic counseling tasks such as risk assessment, pedigree analysis, and patient education.

• Work closely with a research team, including weekly meetings with the team and 1:1 meetings with the PI, to implement a cascade screening protocol.

• Educates patients and families concerned about their conditions, possible risks of hypercholesterolemia and other diseases, and how to best manage problems.

• Obtains and examines personal and family medical histories to determine likelihood of genetic problems; requests and reviews medical records; constructs family histories in computer drawn pedigree form; interprets data for genetic risks to patient and other family members.

• Assists patients and families in reaching decisions about genetic disorders that do not conflict with their religious or ethical values; assists patients and/or their families to understand genetic predisposition disease, including options and limitations of prevention strategies; counsels patients on potential adverse effects of positive gene test; discusses limitations of negative gene test(s).

• Establishes patient referrals to appropriate individuals or clinics for genetic screening as required.

• Arranges for appropriate genetic testing, including contacting the laboratory, arranging sample collection, transporting of samples, and receiving results.

• Conducts research on various genetic disorder studies with complete responsibility for initiating, locating, contacting/recruiting, and updating demographic and family medical history.

• Prepares written summaries of encounters/studies with patients and family members; proofs and files research records and/or medical records as appropriate.

• Reviews all cases encountered with principal investigator or physician.

• Provides longitudinal follow-up with patients who have previously undergone testing; provides written summaries to patients as appropriate.

• Instructs trainees, including genetic counseling students, medical students, residents, and/or fellows, in clinical and/or research settings.

SECURITY AND EEO STATEMENT

Security
This position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code 51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information.

EEO
UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.