COLUMBUS,
Ohio – Rebecca Nagy, a certified
genetic counselor and researcher at the Ohio
State University
Comprehensive Cancer
Center – Arthur G. James Cancer
Hospital and Richard J.
Solove Research Institute, has been elected president of the National Society
of Genetic Counselors (NSGC).
Nagy
will serve as president-elect starting Jan. 1, and assume the presidency for
one year effective Jan. 1, 2013. Nagy, a member of the society since 1994, is
finishing a two-year term as its secretary/treasurer. She also co-chaired the society’s
familial cancer special interest group in 2008-09, representing more than 500
cancer genetic counselors nationally on issues relating to this discipline.
NSGC is the leading voice, authority and
advocate for the genetic counseling profession, representing more than 2,300
masters-level health professionals. The society advances the roles of genetic
counselors in health care by fostering education, research and public policy to
ensure the availability of quality genetic services.
Genetic counselors
are uniquely trained healthcare professionals who help people understand and
adapt to medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic
contributions to disease. Many also have active roles in clinical/translational
research and education.
With the rapid
development of new genetic tests, genetic counselors will continue to play a
critical role in ensuring that the correct tests are ordered and that results
are interpreted in an accurate and meaningful way, says Nagy.
“Genetics plays a
key role in moving the progress of cancer research forward,” says Nagy. “All
cancers arise as the result of genetic changes or mutations. Determining the
genes and genetic pathways that lead to the development of a specific cancer
can help us determine who may be at higher risk for certain types of cancer,
and help us develop targeted therapies.”
Nagy, who has been
a genetic counselor since 1997, is an assistant professor in Ohio State’s
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Human Genetics. Her research
interests include genetic predisposition to non-medullary thyroid cancer.
Her clinical
duties include providing comprehensive cancer genetic consultations to
individuals and families with a history of cancer. Cancer Genetic consultation
requires tremendous documentation of cancers in the family, risk assessment,
screening recommendations, and incorporation of genetic testing as necessary. More
than 400 individuals/families are seen each year in the Clinical Cancer
Genetics clinic at Ohio
State.
Nagy holds a
bachelor’s degree in biology from the University
of Iowa and a master’s degree in
genetics counseling from the University
of Minnesota. She also is
a member of the American Society of Human Genetics.
The Ohio State University
Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J.
Solove Research Institute strives to create a cancer-free world by
integrating scientific research with excellence in education and
patient-centered care, a strategy that leads to better methods of prevention,
detection and treatment. Ohio State is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated
Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of only seven centers funded by the NCI to
conduct both phase I and phase II clinical trials. The NCI recently rated Ohio State’s
cancer program as “exceptional,” the highest rating given by NCI survey teams.
As the cancer program’s 210-bed adult patient-care component, The James is a “Top Hospital”
as named by the Leapfrog Group and one of the top 20 cancer hospitals in the
nation as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
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Click
here for a high-resolution photo of Rebecca Nagy.
Contact: Eileen Scahill, Medical Center
Public Affairs and Media Relations,
614-293-3737, or Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu