Segment 1: ““Family health beliefs and cascade genetic testing in Asian families with hereditary cancer risk: “Okay, now what?””

Leena Tran began her career as a cancer genetic counselor at Cedars-Sinai in 2022, after completing her Master's of Science in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling at Stanford University. Originally from Southern California, she is grateful to have the opportunity to work with patients and providers within the greater Los Angeles area. Leena is passionate about facilitating both provider and patient-directed education, as well as improving health care access and experiences for patients of diverse backgrounds.

In This Segment We Discuss:

- The motivation behind exploring family health beliefs and cascade genetic testing in Asian families with hereditary cancer risk..

- Use of a constructivist approach in this study and rationale for choosing this methodology.

- Influence of shared health beliefs within families on decisions regarding genetic testing and family communication.

- Common strategies participants employed to discuss genetic testing with their relatives.

- Roles genetics providers play in facilitating family discussions about cascade genetic testing.

Segment 2: “Young adults' reasoning for involving a parent in a genomic decision-making research study”

Dr. Melanie Myers is a Professor in the Division of Human Genetics, in the Department of Pediatrics, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She is the Co-Director of the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling, a joint program between the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Dr. Myers has a background in public health genomics with specific training in genetic counseling, public health, social and behavioral sciences, and applied epidemiology. Her research interests include the impact of integrating genomics into public health research and practice. Dr. Myers’s current NIH-funded work focuses on empowering adolescents from diverse backgrounds to participate in the decision-making process about learning genomic results. Myers obtained her MS in genetic counseling from the University of Cincinnati and her PhD in public health from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.

www.cincinnatichildrens.org/geneticcounselingprogram

Julia Pascal is an oncology genetic counselor at Virginia Cancer Specialists. She earned her masters in genetic counseling from the University of Cincinnati genetic counseling program in 2023. Originally from the Washington DC area, Julia is grateful for the opportunity to care for cancer patients in the community where she grew up.

In This Segment We Discuss:

- Unique aspects of young adults' approaches to medical decisions compared to those of older adults.

- Influence of cognitive maturity on young adults' readiness to make independent health decisions, particularly in complex fields like genomics.

- Challenges encountered in designing a study that addresses both autonomous decision-making and parental influence.

- Role of healthcare providers in supporting young adults' transition to independent decision-making.

Stay tuned for the next new episode of DNA Dialogues! In the meantime, listen to all our episodes Apple Podcasts, Spotify, streaming on the website, or any other podcast player by searching, “DNA Dialogues”.

For more information about this episode visit dna dialogues.podbean.com, where you can also stream all episodes of the show. Check out the Journal of Genetic Counseling here for articles featured in this episode and others.

Any questions, episode ideas, guest pitches, or comments can be sent into DNADialoguesPodcast@gmail.com.

DNA Dialogues’ team includes Jehannine Austin, Naomi Wagner, Khalida Liaquat, Kate Wilson, and DNA Today’s Kira Dineen. Our logo was designed by Ashlyn Enokian. Our current intern is Sydney Arlen.

In this episode we discuss a research study that focuses on Black women who tested positive for a pathogenic variant associated with an increased risk for breast cancer. You can find the Journal of Genetic Counseling webpage via onlinelibrary.wiley.com or via the National Society of Genetic Counselors website. Please note that the terminology used refers to women to reflect the language used in the paper, and all genders can have a risk to develop breast cancer.

Segment 1: “A qualitative study of Black breast cancer previvors' and survivors' experiences after positive genetic testing”

Malika Sud (she/her) is a genetic counselor who specializes in fetal genetics and rare disease diagnosis. She works at the Manton Center at Boston Children's Hospital, where her projects focus on discovering genetic causes of rare disease, improving access to genetic testing/counseling, and support around perinatal loss. She also cares for people with high-risk pregnancies at the Maternal Fetal Care Center at Boston Children's Hospital. Malika's work is informed by her community activism and lived experience as a woman of color - she is a longtime advocate for reproductive justice and strives to center marginalized voices healthcare and research. She teaches at the Boston University Genetic Counseling Program and serves on the NSGC J.E.D.I. Stewardship Committee in an effort to make the genetic counseling field more inclusive for patients and colleagues. Malika’s Twitter handle is @malikasud

Erika Stallings is an attorney and writer based in Jersey City, NJ. In 2014 she learned that she carried a BRCA2 mutation and underwent a preventative mastectomy that same year. Since undergoing genetic counseling and testing she has worked to raise awareness of hereditary cancer with a specific focus on raising awareness in minority communities. Her writing about her experience with hereditary cancer as well as her work on health inequities has been published in NPR, O Magazine, The Cut, Jezebel and The New York Times. She is active on social media at the handle quidditch424 on X."

- The origins of the study and the reasoning behind choosing this specific topic.

- Erika’s involvement as a patient advocate and how the team’s diverse backgrounds shaped the research approach.

- The five key themes uncovered in the study, with relevant participant quotes shared.

- Insights on how healthcare providers can improve support for Black women with genetic results indicating higher breast cancer risk.

- Discussion of the study’s potential impact on future research and changes in clinical practice.

Stay tuned for the next new episode of DNA Dialogues! In the meantime, listen to all our episodes Apple Podcasts, Spotify, streaming on the website, or any other podcast player by searching, “DNA Dialogues”.

For more information about this episode visit dnadialogues.podbean.com, where you can also stream all episodes of the show. Check out the Journal of Genetic Counseling here for articles featured in this episode and others.

Any questions, episode ideas, guest pitches, or comments can be sent into DNADialoguesPodcast@gmail.com.

DNA Dialogues’ team includes Jehannine Austin, Naomi Wagner, Khalida Liaquat, Kate Wilson, and DNA Today’s Kira Dineen. Our logo was designed by Ashlyn Enokian. Our current intern is Sydney Arlen.