Students are required to complete a customized Capstone Project.  This is an opportunity for students to select a topic of interest and build their own research project.  Students will work with a customized advisory committee of program leadership, faculty, and genetic counselors to complete this aspect of their training. 

Research projects for current students

• Current State and Impact on The Mental Health and Quality of Life of Genetic Counselors Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic by Nicole Gostic 
• Investigating Genetic Counselors' Regard for Patients with Substance Use Disorders by Christina Kovacs
• Chinese Adoptees' Attitudes and Perception of Genetic Counseling by Rose Hokanson
• Genetic Counseling and ART: Perceptions of Test Offering by Zach Ryder
• Investigating the use of Diversity Initiatives in Clinical Laboratory Genetic Testing by Alex Correale-Otto
• Changes in Cancer Genetic Counseling Scheduling or Referral Patterns from January 2019 to December 2020 by Morgan Carew
• Inclusion of Industry and Laboratory Roles in Genetic Counseling Programs by Carlotta Rasmussen
• Impact to Interpretive Services Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic by Kamille Clever

Research projects for our recent graduates 

• Assessing recent genetic counseling program graduates for their perspectives on their multicultural counseling competency training by Baily Mallon
• Case Report Loeys-Dietz Syndrome by Deanna Fry
• Assessment of Patient Health Literacy in Genetic Counseling Sessions by Shannon Hefferan
• How do prenatal genetic counselors manage rare autosomal trisomies detected via NIPT by Hannah Jochem
• Barrier Genetic Counselors Encounter While Practicing in Rural United States by Taylor Smith
• Provision of Genetic Counseling for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Patients by Lindsey Orozco
• COVID-19 Impact on Practice of Clinical Genetic Counselors by Ann Faulkner
• Education of Medical Examiners Regarding Postmortem Genetic Testing in Cases of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) and Sudden Unexplained Death (SUD) by Rachel Campagna (accepted 2020 NSGC Poster)
  • Additional SCD Educational Material.pdf
• Physician Opinions on Mosaicism in Preimplantation Genetic Screening and Genetic Counseling by Irene Ford (accepted 2020 NSGC Poster)
• The Effects of Practicing Mindfulness on Levels of Compassion Fatigue in Genetic Counselors by Cartney Knecht
• Comparing Genetic Counseling Admissions Processes: Pre- and Post Third Pary National Matching Service by Audrey Samuelson
• Factors Influencing Current and Prospective Genetic Counselors’ Awareness of and Preparation for the Genetic Counseling Profession by Amanda Hoff
• Strategies that Counselors Use to Prepare for New Specialty Positions by Ellen Fellers
• Factors Contributing to Patient Engagemetn in Services Following Consumer-Initied Genetic Testing by Sami Witt
• Factors that inform genetic counseling students' personal opinions about abortion by Courtney Schuiteman (accepted 2020 NSGC Poster)
• Understanding genetic counselors' perceptions of duty to warm by Lexi Lash
• Familial Hypercholesterolemia Patient Knowledge Assessment by Samantha Toy
• Genetic Counseling Perspectives of Current Informed Consent for Prenatal Screening by Courtney Asman
• Dissecting the Role of Genetic Counselors in Patient Informed Consent for Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) by Nicole Collins
• Patient Reported Outcome Measurement as a Treatment Tool in Genetic Counseling by Katherine Ross
• A Case Study of Prenatal Liver Tumor Presentation in Simpson-Golabi-Behmel Syndrome by Brooke Sample (preparing for publication)
• A Case Report on novel cancer associated with CHEK2 pathogenic variant by Kassi Brooks (preparing for publication)
• Sources of Patient Education and Knowledge of Genetic Contributions to Diabetes by Adam Stucke 
• Patient Understanding of Variants of Uncertain Significance by Jessica Caboatje
• Primary Care Provider Use of Family History for Referral Strategies to Genetics/Genetic Counseling by Caroline Estes
• Factors Influencing the Information on Prenatal Diagnosable Disabilities Given to Parents by Trisha Neidlinger
• Trends in Options Discussed During Prenatal Genetic Counseling Session by Miranda Ruben (Poster at NSGC 2018)
• Hereditary Sensory Autonomic Neuropathy (HSAN) Rase report and Literature Review by Kyra Firestone (published)
• Primrose Syndrome Case Report and Literature Review by Caitlyn Ricks (preparing for publication)