With this newsletter, we hope to connect and reconnect the SLC genetic counseling community. We invite you to enjoy the first edition of our biannual publication as we share our experiences and update you on life at Sarah Lawrence. Additionally, we would like to hear about what you are doing personally and professionally, and we welcome any ideas or suggestions you may have. We see this project as a way to connect the diverse experiences of our graduates, and hope that this newsletter will evolve over time, and reflect our multifaceted community.

Current Issue:

Volume 4, Issue 1: Spring 2011
Download this issue (PDF)»

In this Issue:

• HGP: 40 Years in the Making
• HGP Timeline
• A Look Back at the Class of 1971
• Audrey Heimler and the Origins of the NSGC
• NSGC Conference Survival Guide
• Meet Our Program Directors
• All in the Family
• A New Career, A New Romance?
• Profile: Jamie Speer
• HGP Summer Camp
• Announcements

40 Years in theMaking: A Celebration of the History of Genetic Counseling at Sarah Lawrence College
by Christine Colón, Class of 2011

The 1971 Commencement was an historic one at Sarah Lawrence College—eight women graduated as the very first class of genetic counselors anywhere. Hope Adams, Peggy Blattner, Beverly Ginsberg, Phraedie Gold, Amie Hample, Audrey Heimler, Gay Sachs, and Eva Taben were breaking ground as ambassadors to a new profession. As these women left their training, they made their way out into the field to begin laying down the foundation of what genetic counseling is today.

While creating a training program for genetic counselors was an exciting first step in a new direction, it did not come easily. In 1968, Melissa Richter and a few supporters began to research the idea of opening such a program. Richter herself graduated from Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) in 1951 and had taught biology and psychology. She believed a genetic counseling training program was needed, and that the Continuing Education Center at SLC would be the ideal place to house one. She began contacting and gathering the opinions of other medical professionals, and found very little enthusiasm for the proposed program.Most felt a program like this would never work. Richter, along with volunteer Gay Sachs, continued working despite criticism and negative opinions, confident that they were on the right path. In fact, that path would take an unexpected turn because of one little mistake.

In 1969, The New York Times printed an article about how pregnant patients can be affected by genetic counseling, entitled "Will the Baby Be Normal?" The author of the article, Robert Stock, incorrectly wrote, "Sarah Lawrence College has plans to establish a program to train" genetic counselors. Immediately following this, letters of interest poured into SLC requesting information on their genetic counseling program. Of course, it was not yet established, so Richter and her colleagues hurried to build a program. In September 1969, the first graduating class of the Human Genetics Program (HGP) began their studies. Since then, hundreds of students have trained at SLC and gone on to become successful counselors, educators, and leaders in the field.

Although technically "middleaged," The Joan H.Marks Graduate Program in Human Genetics (formerly HGP) is in its prime. It continues to be the largest program in the country; this year it graduates 26 brand new genetic counselors, students who were picked froma variety of locations. Each year, the program receives applications from all over the United States, Canada, and many other countries. Students have come from as close as Yonkers, New York, as far away as the Ivory Coast, Africa, and everywhere in between, including India, Albania, and Kosovo. | Read the full article»