Program Characteristics
The Focus Internship is a unique feature of the Emory Genetic Counseling Training Program. It spans the two years of the students' training and is intended to provide an extended and in-depth experience in one area related to genetics practice, policy, and/or research. In addition to participating in activities and meetings, and offering valuable work of benefit to their mentor, the internship provides the basis for the student’s Capstone Project, which includes:
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Project design and execution, review/collection and analysis of data.
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Creation of an abstract for a professional meeting.
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Creation of a poster to be presented at the Dr. Cecelia Bellcross GCTP Poster Walk.
Previous projects can be found in our alumni section.
Student Activities
Examples of activities that GC students could be involved in include (but are not limited to):
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Literature reviews/summaries
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Subject education and consenting
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Data collection, entry and review
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Conduct phone interviews
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Family history collection
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Pedigree program entry
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Database/resource searching
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Chart reviews and data abstraction
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Project coordinator activities
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Development of educational materials
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Lay/public and provider presentations
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Assist lab procedures, report writing
Mentors
Students work under the guidance of a mentor and committee spending an average of four-to-six hours per week on their focus activities during the academic years and the equivalent of four full-time weeks during the interim summer.
Information about the various focus opportunities available in any given year and mentor contacts are made available to the students in the summer before they begin graduate school at Emory. During that time, students reach out to several mentors to interview and discuss the available focus opportunity and related capstone project. Using that information, students and potential mentors provide rankings of their selections to the GCTP Leadership. Leadership conducts a match process using these rankings in order to designate student/mentor pairs.
PAST Focus Internship Opportunities
Mentors and focus projects are offered through multiple departments within Emory, but also through affiliated clinics/rotation sites and external institutions.
Emory School of Medicine
- Department of Human Genetics
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The 3q29 Project
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Clinical Trial/Lysosomal Disease Center
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Metabolic Research Team
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Stephen T. Warren National Fragile X Center
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Department of Cardiology
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Department of Hematology
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Department of Neurology
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Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Department of Ophthalmology
Specialty Clinics/Areas
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Autism Center
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Cystic Fibrosis Clinic
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Difference In Sex Development
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General Genetics Clinic
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Jscreen
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Medical Education
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Otolaryngology Clinic
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Prenatal Clinic
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Skeletal Dysplasia Clinic
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Winship Cancer Genetics Clinic
Emory School of Public Health
Emory & Georgia State Newborn Screening
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
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Department of Pediatric Cardiology
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Department of Pediatric Endocrinology
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Department of Pediatric Neurology
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Department of Pediatric Oncology
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Grady Cancer Clinic
Wellstar Health System Center for Genetics