Co-Curricular Activities

The community that we serve around our medical center is largely Spanish-speaking and to better serve our local community members students engage in weekly Spanish language classes to improve their communciation skills specific to genetic counseling.

• Students who are not bilingual/fluent in Spanish and English: students are engaged in Spanish language classes for genetic counselors. 
• Students who are bilingual/fluent in Spanish and English: students can gain teaching experience and hone vocabluary specific to genetic counseling by serving as academic support for Spanish language classes for genetic counselors. 

The Lived Experience was founded at Columbia University in 2019. It is a documentary film series, sharing stories of people and families living with genetic diagnoses or genetic risk. Each time we meet to screen a film, we are joined by people who are affected with the diagnosis being highlighted and sometimes by people from the film themselves. We learn about the struggles and joys, successes and barriers that accompany living with chronic disease. Through this experience, our students integrate more deeply the potential human meaning and impact of the genetic information that they are learning in their coursework, furthering their commitment to patient support and advocacy.  

Topics over the past several years have included:

• Epilepsy
• Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer
• Cystic fibrosis
• Duchenne muscular dystrophy
• Choroideremia
• Sickle cell disease
• Huntington disease
• Access to abortion services
• Inclusive education for children with disabilities
• Visual representation of people with genetic diagnoses

With more than 4,000 health profession students in 10 programs on our campus, our students have numerous opportunities to learn with students in other health care disciplines. IPE seminars and workshops are frequent and are geared towards broadening students' understanding about how to participate effectively within a health care team. Our students learn alongside students and faculty from the College of Dental Medicine, MD Program, School of Nursing, Institute of Human Nutrition, Programs in Occupational Therapy, Clinical Pastoral Education Program, Programs in Physical Therapy, Mailman School of Public Health, and School of Social Work. 

Throughout their first year, our students engage in four week-long immersions into the clinical diagnostic genetics labs on our campus to better understand genetic testing and analysis techniques. These experiences allow students to recognize the benefits and limitations of various laboratory techniques and identify the challenges that can come with genetic testing. Students work with our clinical laboratory faculty in cytogenetics, molecular genetics, and biochemical genetics.