Without conferences to connect the genetics community PhenoTips created the PhenoTips Speaker Series, a series of free webinar skillshares on relevant topics, featuring discussions with thought leaders and experts in genetic medicine.
Genetic diseases affect millions of individuals worldwide, yet there are only a handful of genetic professionals in comparison. Spread out across continents, the medical genetics community relies on conferences to connect, using these opportunities to share knowledge, navigate challenges, and reach breakthroughs.
This year, things are different. Conferences have been canceled to slow the spread of COVID-19, pushing us to rethink the ways we connect and learn. As in-person meetings became an impossibility, we were forced to innovate. So, we created the PhenoTips Speaker Series, a monthly virtual discussion and skillshare featuring thought leaders and pioneers in medical genetics.
We believe distance should never prevent collaboration and professional development. With this Speaker Series we created a virtual forum where genetic counselors and geneticists can connect with one another, as well as learn from experts about topics relevant to their careers.
To further assist the medical genetics community at a time when hospital resources are under enormous strain, it was important to us that our Speaker Series remains free. Genetics in the time of a pandemic is strikingly different, making an accessible platform for sharing knowledge even more necessary.
With the hasty transition to a socially-distanced practice in mind, we chose topics that offered the most immediate value. Our first Speaker Series installment, featuring telegenetics pioneer Elizabeth Turner, offered insight on how to adapt to virtual care in genetic counseling. Our following Speaker Series assessed the growing precision medicine movement, inviting thought leaders Ellen Matloff and Dr. Peter Robinson to prepare genetic counselors for the rise in popularity of genetic testing and analysis. In our upcoming, October installment we’ve invited three genetic counselors in leadership roles to provide guidance to genetic counselors wishing to enter management positions.
At the end of each discussion, we open the virtual floor to audience questions, moderated by a genetic professional. This ensures that attendees have ample opportunity to mine insights that are most relevant to them. To ensure our series adds the most possible value to our community, future Speaker Series topics will be selected by the attendees of past sessions.
Watch Adapting to Virtual Care in Genetic Counseling, The Evolving Role of Genetic Counselors in Precision Medicine, and The Importance of Deep Phenotyping in Precision Medicine. Register for the upcoming October webinar, Genetic Counselors in Leadership Roles and follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn to stay updated on future PhenoTips Speaker Series installments.