Class of 2027

Title: Exploring Motivations and Uptake of Asynchronous Clinical Genetics Education Modules among Internal Medicine Residents and Fellows

Study Objective: Assess internal medicine residents’ and fellows’ perceived knowledge of clinical genetics, identify salient motivations for pursuing
education in relevant genetics topics, and evaluate the actual level of uptake of asynchronous genetics education modules to improve access to genetic information and testing among adult patients.

Mentors

• Primary: Hila Milo Rasouly, PhD, MS (Department of Medicine)
• Amanda Bergner, MS, CGC (Departments of Genetics & Development, Neurology)
• Joanna Urli, MS, CGC (Department of OB/GYN)

Title: Assessing the Impact of an AI Consent Tool for Prenatal Genome Sequencing

Study Objective: Determine whether a novel digital consent support tool reduces the turnaround time required to obtain complete and accurate informed consent for prenatal genome sequencing to support increased access to this testing.

Mentors

• Primary: Jessica Giordano, MS, CGC (Department of OB/GYN)
• Ron Wapner, MD (Department of OB/GYN)
• Malika Sud, MS, CGC (Department of OB/GYN)
• Michelle Florido, MS, CGC (Department of Genetics & Development)

Title: Assessing Interest Among Reproductive Endocrinology Patients for Paired Adult-Onset Panel Screening with Carrier Screening

Study Objective: Analyze REI patient perspectives, attitudes, and preferences regarding possible inclusion of adult-onset conditions to their carrier screening and evaluate perceptions on the need to have pretest counseling when electing this additional testing.

Mentors

• Primary: Jessica Giordano, MS, CGC (Department of OB/GYN)
• Alexandra Demers, MS, CGC (Department of OB/GYN)
• Stephanie Galloway, MS, CGC (Department of OB/GYN)
• Joanna Urli, MS, CGC (Department of OB/GYN)
• Michelle Florido, MS, CGC (Department of Genetics & Development)

**2026 NSGC Student/New Member Special Interest Group (SIG) Award**

Title: Developing Genesurance Counseling Knowledge and Skills: Perceptions of Genetic Counseling Students and Early-Career Genetic Counselors

Study Objective: Measure perceived preparedness to counsel about genesurance among students and recent graduates of genetic counseling programs, identify which genesurance tasks feel most/least comfortable, and explore educational experiences that provided more or less preparation.

Mentors

• Primary: Amanda Bergner, MS, CGC (Departments of Genetics & Development, Neurology)
• Aisha Rekab, MS, CGC (Departments of Pediatrics)
• Marissa Russell, MS, CGC (Ambry Genetics)

**2026 NSGC Ophthalmology and Hearing Loss Special Interest Group (SIG) Award**

Title: Exploring the Patient Perspective of Obtaining a Diagnosis of Congenital Stationary Night Blindness: A Qualitative Analysis 

Study Objective: Explore the lived experiences, barriers, and facilitators encountered by patients during the diagnostic odyssey within the United States healthcare system to improve access to care.

Mentors

• Primary: Megan Soucy, MS, CGC (Department of Ophthalmology)
• Irene Maumanee, MD (Department of Ophthalmology)
• Scott Brodie, MD, PhD (Department of Ophthalmology)
• Priyanka Ahimaz, MS, CGC (Department of Pediatrics)

Title: Qualitative Exploration into the Evolving Roles of Geneticists and Genetic Counselors in the Era of Genomic Medicine: A Longitudinal Study

Study Objective: Explore how skillsets and roles of geneticists and genetic counselors in general genetics have evolved with the advancement of genomic sequencing.

Mentors

• Primary: Priyanka Ahimaz, MS, CGC (Department of Pediatrics)
• Amanda Bergner, MS, CGC (Departments of Genetics & Development, Neurology)
• Aisha Rekab, MS, CGC (Department of Pediatrics) 
• Andrew Freiman, MS, CGC (Children's National)

Title: Exploring the Lived Experience of Patients Treated with Belzutifan for von Hippel-Lindau Disease: A Qualitative Study

Study Objective: Explore the experiences of patients with VHL who have received or are currently receiving belzutifan to generate insights that can enhance healthcare provider support and patient-centered care in this population.

Mentors

• Co-Primary: Katie Foudy, MS, CGC (Department of Medicine)
• Co-Primary: Michelle Florido, MS, CGC (Department of Genetics & Development)
• Julia Wynn, MS, CGC (BillionToOne)

Title: Exploring the Economic Impact of Kidney Disease Genetic Testing in a Clinical Workflow

Study Objective: Evaluate the economic impact of genetic testing for kidney disease on the healthcare system by measuring downstream healthcare utilization and associated costs.

Mentors

• Primary: Natalie Vena, MS, CGC (Department of Medicine)
• Jordan Nestor, MD (Department of Medicine)
• Maureen Mulhern, MS, MAT, CGC (Departments of Pathology & Cell Biology, Neurology)

**2026 NSGC Renal Genetics Special Interest Group (SIG) Award**

Title: Understanding the Patient Experience with Genetic Services in a Kidney Genetics Clinic

Study Objective: Evaluate patient experience with genetic services in a kidney genetics clinic and identify factors that influence their experience to improve quality of care among this patient population.

Mentors

• Primary: Natalie Vena, MS, CGC (Department of Medicine)
• Hila Milo Rasouly, PhD, MS (Department of Medicine)
• Maureen Mulhern, MS, MAT, CGC (Departments of Pathology & Cell Biology, Neurology)

Title: Exploring Patient Opinions about Predictive Genetic Testing Protocols for Adult-Onset Neurodegenerative Disorders

Study Objective: Explore patient satisfaction with existing processes for predictive genetic testing across multiple adult-onset neurodegenrative disorders to support inclusion of the patient experience in future recommendations about protocols updates.

Mentors

• Co-Primary: Amanda Bergner, MS, CGC (Departments of Genetics & Development, Neurology)
• Co-Primary: Amanda Chan, MS, CGC (Department of Neurology)
• Cal Burns, MS, CGC (NYU Langone Health)

Title: Assessing the Readiness of Cardiovascular Genetic Counselors to Provide Effective Counseling in Cases of Sudden Cardiac Death

Study Objective: Evaluate how equipped cardiology genetic counselors feel to utilize their skillset in the clinical care of families impacted by sudden cardiac death.

Mentors

• Primary: Priyanka Ahimaz, MS, CGC (Department of Pediatrics)
• Laura Yeates, PhD (Garvan Institute of Medical Research)
• Amy Shikany, MS, CGC (Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center)
• Sophie Melly, MS, CGC (Department of Medicine)

Title: Genomic Return of Results: Perspectives from Participants in the Columbia University BioBank

Study Objective: Explore the preferred delivery method of genomic return of results to biobank participants, comparing traditional disclosure methods with non-traditional methods to inform the development of standardized return of results protocols.

Mentors

• Primary: Danielle Pendrick, PhD (VP&S Office for Research)
• Maureen Mulhern, MS, MAT, CGC (Departments of Pathology & Cell Biology, Neurology)
• Brenna Boyd, MS, CGC (Department of Pediatrics)