Farmington, Conn. – The New England Regional Genetics Group Inc. (NERGG) will hold its fourth biennial Genetic Counselors’ Continuing Education Meeting at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine (JAX) on Friday, May 1, in a new partnership based on both institutions’ efforts to expand professional training for genetics professionals.
Topics at "Genetics—Moving to the Center of Healthcare" include the role of genomic testing in guiding cancer treatment, approaches to helping families that are coping with genetic diagnoses, and interpretation and use of genomic sequencing results in the newborn population.
NERGG is a professional membership organization for geneticists, genetic counselors, providers and consumers of genetics services. The organization regularly sponsors continuing education events for genetics professionals in the region. JAX is a nonprofit genetics research institution that has launched a series of continuing education programs to teach physicians and other health professionals how to use the tools of genomics to diagnose and treat their patients.
"We are delighted to partner with The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine to create this event," says NERGG Executive Director Joyce Graff. "Genetics is indeed moving to the center of healthcare. By understanding each individual’s genetic uniqueness, we can work together – not just to treat illness, but to better manage health."
JAX Genomic Medicine Scientific Director Charles Lee, Ph.D., notes that the tremendous volume of new information about the genetic underpinnings of health and disease poses serious challenges for health professionals. "We’re looking forward to hosting this conference for NERGG members based in Connecticut and throughout New England. It’s part of our mission to help health care providers integrate genetics and genomics into clinical care."
Details about the program are available at nergg.org, or contact director@nergg.org.
NERGG’s mission is to provide a forum for collaboration among genetics professionals, consumers of genetic services and the public health community in New England by raising awareness about the impact of genetics on health throughout the lifespan, and by promoting and facilitating access to genetic services, education and resources.
The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution and National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center based in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a facility in Sacramento, Calif., and a new genomic medicine institute in Farmington, Conn. It employs 1,600 staff, and its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.
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