CAREER PIPELINES TOWARD PROGRAM LEADERSHIP POSITIONS: EXPLORING ACCESS POINTS THAT MAY INCREASE DIVERSITY WITHIN THE FIELD OF GENETIC COUNSELING

In 2020, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) published their strategic vision for the future of human genomics, identifying a goal of working toward a more diverse workforce at the forefront of their plan. Four years later, there is still a significant amount of work to be done in achieving the goal of diversifying the profession, requiring attention to many facets of the problem including barriers to diversity in genetic counseling graduate program leadership. Improving diversity among graduate students is directly aligned with NHGRI’s strategic vision, and there have been significant studies reporting the influence that a diverse team of program leadership and faculty has on bringing in new cohorts of graduate students from different backgrounds. However, despite their recognized influence on the future demographic of genetic counselors, assessment of genetic counselor career trajectories toward leadership positions has not yet been studied. Our study aims to shed light on the various carrier paths genetic counselors have taken in becoming members of program leadership, identifying common themes, experiences, and influential factors facilitating those carrier trajectories toward leadership positions. This study fits in nicely with the field’s overall goal of improving diversity by focusing on a population that has a significant influential power on the future direction of genetic counseling, while also filling in a gap in the current literature. For this study, a survey collecting demographic information was sent to all current members of program leadership across the current 56 accredited genetic counseling programs in the United States. Additionally, 26 interviews were conducted with a purposefully selected sub-set of participants to explore career narratives of genetic counselors currently in program leadership positions. These interviews produced three types of career pipelines leading to program leadership, along with an analysis of facilitating factors identified in participant career trajectories. Following identification of those career advancing facilitators, a discussion on how these findings can be used to strategically improve the diversity among future members of program leadership and, by extension, the future of the field as a whole concludes this study.