Member Spotlight: Wes Solem
Introducing Wes Solem!
The Texas Transcript Team first heard Mr. Wes Solem speak at this year’s AEC. His contribution to the HD community is invaluable, which is why we wanted to feature him!
Bio Basics - when and where did you earn your MS? Where do you live? Where do you work?
I earned an ScM in genetic counseling from the GC program shared between Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I am from Dallas, TX but just recently relocated to Atlanta, GA. I am a genetic counselor and the Director of Genetic Services for a new company called HD Genetics, providing remote genetic counseling & testing options for the Huntington’s disease community.
What part of your job gets you excited to get out of bed in the morning?
I absolutely love my job. I am extremely passionate about helping the HD community and hoped I would be able to find work somewhere as an HD genetic counselor. I studied HD in mice in my undergrad career, and then my graduate thesis focused on the impact of COVID-19 on genetic counseling for HD, and how services suddenly shifted to telehealth despite conventional restrictions to in-person service delivery in the past. And now here we are! I couldn’t believe it and honestly still kind of can’t! I feel very fortunate and grateful to do what I do.
What's been a good learning experience in your career path or journey?
It is important to know how and when to ask for help, and especially to actually follow through with doing so. I keep learning this and relearning it. Given that HD Genetics is fully remote, and that we are a very small company -- I have to really take initiative to reach out whenever I need something or am unsure about something, whether by text, email, or phone call!
What's one thing you'd like to share with the TSGC community?
Don’t let yourself settle into a space where you’re more concerned with upholding the conventional practice out of convenience than you are with making sure you are providing truly patient-centered care. If your institution has no interest or means to make change toward whatever that reality is, is there something you yourself can do to help or is it out of your hands entirely?
Outside of your career, what brings you joy?
I have a cat that I adopted over COVID, who is a great buddy. I play guitar and like to see live music, which was my career for a decade before becoming a genetic counselor. I also started climbing and boxing this past year which has been really fun and rewarding. I’m cooking more these days too which has also been fun!
Tell us about a recent experience that made you feel grateful to be a genetic counselor.
Unfortunately, I hear stories from patients often about long wait times or poor experiences within the traditional healthcare system. When someone lives in a rural area hundreds of miles from a proper clinic and tells you that they didn’t think they’d ever be able to receive this kind of care because of where they live and how much it costs elsewhere -- It really makes me feel so lucky to be able to meet that need. And more specifically to the question directly, everytime someone says “that’s the clearest anyone has ever explained that to me” makes me feel very grateful to be a genetic counselor.
What genetic syndrome do you find most fascinating and why?
I don’t think I could respond with anything other than HD given the context here! The HD community is so strong, so resilient, and so inspiring. From a very genetic counseling nerd perspective… There is already “genetic exceptionalism” out there, in that genetic syndromes and services are given special consideration over other syndromes and services. HD is in its own subset of genetic exceptionalism, which could be referred to as HD exceptionalism. HD gets treated differently than many other genetic syndromes given the implications of the disease, the (typically) adult onset symptomatology, and the clear autosomal dominant inheritance pattern it follows. But most people don’t talk about the “gray area,” instability & anticipation, and the implications of “reduced penetrance” or “intermediate” alleles. It’s a fascinating disease for many reasons, but I think the most fascinating thing for me right now is the hope that a true disease modifying treatment may be right around the corner. Every year that goes by we learn more and more about HD and potential treatments and biomarkers - We are undoubtedly closer to a disease modifying treatment day after day!
HD Genetics offers "Huntington's Disease Genetic Counseling & Testing From the Comfort of your Couch (or Wherever You Choose)" -- Fully remote / virtual services for all 50 states! We are 100% dedicated to HD and offer anonymous testing options. Visit our website at hdgenetics.com.