Genomic Practice for Genetic Counselling

We are pleased to announce the ninth in our series of courses on genetic counselling. This course aims to meet the training needs of genetic counsellors as they upskill in response to the roll-out of genomic sequencing in the clinic. This year’s course will focus on the practical applications of genomics with several ‘hands-on’ workshop sessions.

The programme will focus on the fundamental aspects of genomics and bioinformatics that underpin clinical practice. There will be a particular emphasis on learning how to do variant interpretation. For example, the course include several hands-on sessions that will focus on the use of the DECIPHER database, and the identification of variants in cancer and cardiac disorders. Attendees will have the opportunity to work with sequence data and explore how it is created, analysed and delivered. The course will include discussions on the role of genomics in healthcare and the role of genetic counselling in how genomic healthcare is delivered.

Target audience

The course is suitable for genetic counsellors practising in the UK or internationally. We also welcome applications from nurses or clinicians delivering genetic healthcare. Previous participants may wish to return to this course as the focus on practical application will enable them to develop their skills further. The course has been designed to be relevant for use by genetic counsellors in the UK and Ireland in their GCRB registration.

To optimize discussions and interactions, numbers are limited. Please note that we may need to limit the number of places allocated to each centre/institute to increase diversity on the course.

Following attendance of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe and critically evaluate the current role of genomics in healthcare.
• Assess and critique the use of a variety of visualization tools and databases, such as DECIPHER.
• Perform a basic variant interpretation process for discussion with other professionals.
• Contribute effectively to discussions on variant interpretation during a multidisciplinary team meeting.
• Discuss the role of genetic counselling in the future applications of genomics in different healthcare systems
• Discuss the challenges and opportunities in broadening access to genomics.

The course runs over 3 days. It will start at 11.00 on Monday, 30 January and close at approximately 15.00 on Wednesday, 1 February 2023. All times are given in GMT.

The following topics will be covered:

• The role of genomics in healthcare
• Cancer genomics
• Cardiac genomics
• Variant interpretation
• Functional studies and analysis
• Broadening access to genomics
• Future challenges in genomic medicine

All participants are encouraged to stay onsite for the full duration to benefit fully from discussions and interactions with the faculty and other students.

Gemma Chandratilake
University of Cambridge, UK

Catherine Houghton
Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust, UK

Nicki Taverner
Cardiff University, UK

Course speakers

Lea Abed – Nancy Regional and University Hospital Center, France
Julia Foreman – Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK
Lyndon Gallacher – Victoria Clinical Genetics Service, Australia
Alice Garrett – The Institute of Cancer Research, UK
Sasha Henriques –  Wellcome Connecting Science, UK
Cathryn Lewis – King’s College London, UK
Chloe Reuter – Stanford University, USA
Jonathan Roberts – Cambridge University Hospitals, UK
Tina Wessels – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Organisers – Wellcome Connecting Science

Amanda Fletcher – Conference & Events Organiser
Treasa Creavin – Head of Conferences and Online Training

Application deadline: extended to 6 December

This course is aimed at practising genetic counsellors or nurses and clinicians providing genetic counselling in a healthcare setting and working directly with patients in the UK or internationally.

How to Apply
Please complete the online application form. Places are limited and will be awarded on merit.

To encourage discussions on the course with other course participants, we encourage candidates to submit a clinical case study. This should be a clinical case that involves genomic testing. Please describe the impact of this testing on the patient/family and their clinical care Was the clinician involved in the interpretation of the variants and how? We will select a few cases studies for wider discussions. Please note that you do not have to submit a case study to be accepted on the course.

If you have any problems with the online application process, please contact the event organiser.

Travel visas
Citizens of many countries can travel to the UK to attend a course or conference without needing a visa. Please check the UK government website for visitor information: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor.

Confirmed attendees requiring a letter to support a visa application should contact the event organiser.

*Fees include all meals, the course fee is subsidised by Wellcome Connecting Science.

Bursaries

A limited number of registration bursaries are available to attend this course (up to 50% of the standard registration fee).
The following documents will need to be provided:

• CV
• A justification letter (explain how you will benefit from attending the course)
• A supporting letter from supervisor stating financial need

To apply, please send the above documents to the event organiser by the bursary deadline. Please ensure you have completed the online application before applying for a bursary.

Bursary deadline: 29 November 2022

Please contact your local society to inquire about support for travel or course costs. Members of the the AGNC should contact the society for information on for travel awards.

Additional funding opportunities
Visit our support page for additional financial support currently available.

Extra accommodation
If you wish to book onsite accommodation either side of the course dates, please contact the Conference Centre directly.

Accommodation services phishing scam – please be vigilant. More information.

Feedback from previous courses:

“I have started sharing what I learned during this course to my fellow genetic counselors. I’m very much excited to discuss as I know it will help them in their practice as well.”

“This was one of the most exciting and content-relevant courses I have attended for genetic counsellors in a long time.”

“I think the organisers did a great job hosting this virtually, and it was very easy to follow and participate! This course has helped me feel more confident with variant interpretation and I hope I am able to use the skills here.”

“I thought the entire platform of the course was extremely user friendly and even though it was virtual I felt that we all got to network and interact”

It was great to have a course tailored specifically to GC practice. It was very beneficial to gain insight into the experiences of GCs across the UK and overseas in relation to genomic counselling and it was hugely positive to see the central role GCs are playing in genomic practice and in progression of the GC profession.”

“This is one of the best courses I have been on recently and the standard of lectures was exceptional. I highly recommend it.”

“The practical workshop, especially the workshop on variant interpretation in eye disorders was really useful.”

“It was perfectly pitched at the right level for experienced genetic counsellors. It has given me more insight into variant interpretation.”

“I learnt practical tips and information that I could use in my clinical practice.”