Emily Brown, MGC, CGC, on Models for Expanding Access to Cardiac Genetic Counseling

This interview was originally published on our sister site, NeurologyLive®.

"The main goal of the session was for us to figure out ways we can share different tools and ideas that different clinics have tried to increase access to genetic counseling and genetic testing. We all know there’s a limited number of genetics clinics in the country. Often there’s a long wait time to see a genetic counselor and/or a geneticist."

A session moderated by Emily Brown, MGC, CGC, a genetic counselor at Johns Hopkins Hospital, at the 44th National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) Annual Conference, held November 6-10, 2025, in Seattle, Washington, looked at challenges currently facing cardiovascular genetic counseling and testing, as well as emerging solutions. Among the speakers in the session were Lisa Castillo, MS, CGC; Susan Christian, MSc, PhD, CGC; Monisha Kisling, MS, CGC; Carol Ko, MS, CGC; Christina Rigelsky, MS, CGC; and Amy Shikany, MS, CGC, and coordination was handled by Allison Cirino, MS, CGC. The underutilization and inequitable access to cardiac genetic services were described by the panel of experts, who also provided outlines for innovative referral pathways and models of care delivery intended to remedy these issues.

The speakers went over methods intended to better identification of patients, efficiency of referrals, and to expand cardiogenetic testing access, while providing support enabling genetic counselors to practice at the top of their scope. New outpatient service delivery models covering pre- and postnatal settings, stratagems for promotion of referral practices with increased equitability, and thoughts on the development and refinement of these models for a variety of institutional contexts were also covered in the session. On the whole, the conversation shed light on practical frameworks for improvement of cardiovascular genetic services in terms of efficiency and accessibility, while preserving care quality.

In a follow-up interview with CGTLive®, Brown expanded on the session’s discussions, highlighting how cardiac genetics clinics across the United States and Canada are putting these innovative strategies into practice. She described a variety of models, including telemedicine-based counseling, testing-first workflows, genetic counselor–only clinics, and large-scale educational webinars. She noted that these approaches are designed to cut down on wait times, boost operational efficiency, and reach underserved populations without requiring additional staff.

Click here to view more coverage of the 2025 NSGC Annual Conference.