Role of Gender Identification in Genetic Testing

Saturday, November 23, 2024

2:30 PM – 4:00 PM PST

Location: 109 & 110, Level 1

CE: NOT CME/CMLE

Program Committee Moderator(s)

Stuart Scott, PhD

Professor, Laboratory Director
Stanford
Palo Alto, California, United States

Co-Moderator (Early Career)(s)

Stephanie Siegmund, MD PhD (she/her/hers)

Instructor in Pathology / Associate Pathologist
Harvard Medical School / Brigham & Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Session

Description: This session aims to review and highlight the relevance of both sex and gender to providing appropriate care in clinical genetic testing. The landscape of diversity and inclusion in genetics is constantly evolving, and both germline and oncology testing can be directly impacted by appropriate disclosure and understanding of patient sex and gender. The implementation and interpretation of cytogenetic and molecular technologies require an aligned and appropriate understanding of best practices for addressing issues surrounding both sex and gender, result returning and equitable care among gender minority patients, which is the central thesis of this session.

Learning Objectives:

Review current best practices for defining sex and gender in the context of genetic testing.
Highlight the spectrum along which the concept of sex can be measured and defined, and the relationship between sex and chromosomes.
Evaluate genetic testing and equitable care practices for sex and gender minorities with cancer.
Underscore the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and its intersection with genetic testing-based assessment in clinical practice.

Presentations:

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM PST

Sex and Gender in Medicine: The Basics
Breakout Speaker: J9 Austin, PhD, CGC, FCAHS (they/them/theirs) – Departments of Psychiatry and Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM PST

Role of Sex and Gender in Clinical Oncology and Medical Genetics
Breakout Speaker: Gwendolyn Quinn, PhD (she/her/hers) – , NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM PST

How Labs Can Be Allies: Why Language Matters for Testing Accuracy and Patient Experience
Breakout Speaker: Margo Gallegos, MS, LCGC (she/her/hers) – Ambry Genetics