Q&A with the UTSW Genetic Counseling Program Leadership Team — TSGC

By Mary Grace Roden, MS CGC

The UT Southwestern Medical Center Genetic Counseling Program is accredited! We asked their faculty about the process and their program – see what they had to say!

Samantha Greenberg, Caitlin Mauer, Cheyla Clark, and John Zimmerman, the leadership of the UT Southwestern Medical Center Genetic Counseling Program, at the 2023 NSGC AEC

Samantha Greenberg, M.S., M.P.H., CGC

Program Director

What was the most challenging aspect of the accreditation process?

It's hard to pick a challenge because while the process was arduous, it was truly rewarding and fun for our team. There are so many pieces that go into accreditation—making sure we were consistent in our messaging and plans was something we checked a lot. What we had started in January wasn’t necessarily what we ended with in April, so combing through to make sure we had everything updated as the program developed and became bigger and better was a fun challenge!

What are you most looking forward to as you welcome the very first cohort of students in 2024?

I am so excited for our first cohort of students to meet the incredible community that supports the UT Southwestern Medical Center Genetic Counseling Program (UTSWGCP). Building a program truly takes a village, and teamwork made this dream come to life. We have so many genetic counseling experts that will teach, give guest lectures, provide clinical supervision, and so much more!

If you could tell the Texas genetic counseling community only one thing about the UTSW program, what would it be?

The UTSWGCP is a program built on values. We believe in excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. The energy around those pillars is infectious here, and being able to lead a team that helps channel that energy into developing future genetic counselors is truly a privilege.

Caitlin Mauer, M.A., M.S., CGC

Assistant Program Director

What was the most challenging aspect of the accreditation process?

Both the most challenging and the most rewarding aspect of the accreditation process was gathering all our ideas and putting them on paper. We knew the big picture of what we wanted to achieve, but diving into the nitty-gritty details of how to execute everything took a lot of brain power. However, I think the detailed responses ACGC wanted really pushed us to define our goals and determine how to execute them all. And in the end, we were (and are!) really pleased with how our plans turned into a reality!

What are you most looking forward to as you welcome the very first cohort of students in 2024?

Honestly, I’m excited about a lot of things and can’t wait for students to get here! I think I am most excited to watch our first group of students grow into competent genetic counselors with the curriculum we’ve put together. I can’t wait to get into the classroom with them and help them build their knowledge and GC skills, hear their experiences from their clinical rotations, and watch them build their confidence and abilities throughout their training with us. I’m also really excited to hear their feedback as they progress through the program. We recognize we’re a new program and that adjustments will need to be made, and I can’t wait to hear their input and incorporate it to refine our program to be its best!

If you could tell the Texas genetic counseling community only one thing about the UTSW program, what would it be?

I’d love to highlight how grateful we are for the Texas GC community, and how y’all’s contributions, support, and enthusiasm has and will be such an integral factor in our program. We are so fortunate in Texas to have a large and amazing community of GCs, which is a testament of support now that there are three different GC Masters programs! The UTSW Program is excited to include many of you in the training of our students, and the collective knowledge and variety of experiences within our Texas GC community will allow our students to have a wide range of experiences to draw upon in their training. Our students are going to be extremely lucky to be surrounded by such a strong and supportive community of GCs!

John Zimmerman, M.S., CGC

Director of Fieldwork

What was the most challenging aspect of the accreditation process?

The biggest challenge was learning how to articulate our vision for the program in a way that makes sense to an accrediting body, which really feels like a language of its own. That said, putting our accreditation application together required us to be intentional and thoughtful about every aspect of our program to ensure that we are meeting (and exceeding) the highest standards with respect to curriculum, fieldwork training, and general operations. It made for an invaluable learning experience for our team and has set our program up for long-term success.

What are you most looking forward to as you welcome the very first cohort of students in 2024?

I am excited for our students to become a part of our genetic counseling community here in North Texas. There is so much enthusiasm from the community to be a part of every facet of the training experience, and I think our students are going to really feel that welcoming and supportive environment in a big way. On the flip side, our instructors and supervisors have been hard at work preparing for our students and I am equally excited to see their efforts come to fruition.

If you could tell the Texas genetic counseling community only one thing about the UTSW program, what would it be?

The UTSW Genetic Counseling Program is guided by one of our core values of innovation. We strive to be a forward-thinking and dynamic program that continuously adapts to the ever-changing landscape of genetic and genomic medicine, and we hope to instill these values in our future genetic counselors.

Cheyla Clark, M.P.H., M.S., CGC

Director of Outreach and Engagement

What was the most challenging aspect of the accreditation process?

The most challenging aspect of the accreditation process was figuring out how we could translate all of our big ideas, hopes, and dreams for the program into a final product that the accrediting body would appreciate as much as we did and one that was formatted in the way it was required. Trying to read the minds of what the accrediting body would want to see was challenging but it was so much fun creating an entire program with this amazing team!

What are you most looking forward to as you welcome the very first cohort of students in 2024?

I’m most excited to meet the students who are going to be a part of shaping our new, innovative and thoughtfully designed program. These students have the opportunity to shape their educational experience alongside everyone involved in the development of this program and courses. Additionally, I am looking forward to positively impacting the personal and professional lives of our students, helping them to grow and achieve their goals!

If you could tell the Texas genetic counseling community only one thing about the UTSW program, what would it be?

One of our goals is to cultivate a learning community where the similarities and differences of individuals are valued so that all students can reach their academic and professional potential. We know that this is a key part of training a cohort of students that will aid in advancing health equity in our field and beyond!