In this episode we are chatting about the genetic counseling field in South Africa! Joining us for this discussion are two guests from the University of Cape Town (UTC), current student, Samantha Bayley, and UCT-professor, Tina-Marié Wessels. Special thanks to our social media intern, Kajal Patel, for recommending Samantha and Tina for this episode! Samantha Bayley is currently a second-year student in the MMedSc Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Cape Town. Originally from Johanne...
Jan 27, 2023•40 min•Ep. 221
This week we’re discussing all things microfluidics! Joining us for this discussion is Franz Pruefer. He is the Co-Founder of Maxwerk Bio which has a pipeline of biotech diagnostic and therapeutic devices. Franz is also the Co-Founder of CERTESS Therapeutics an early stage Cell Therapy Company in stealth mode based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Under the pharmaceutical division, Maxwerk supplies injectable and solid dose manufacturing machinery, and pharmaceutical engineering and construction. Th...
Jan 20, 2023•38 min•Ep. 220
A new year means a new podcast! We are thrilled to announce that our host, Kira Dineen, is a co-producer of a new rare disease and medical challenges podcast called, It Happened To Me . In celebration of the launch we wanted to share an upcoming episode of the podcast where the hosts Cathy Gildenhorn and Beth Glassman interviewed Kira Dineen. There will also be another episode on the show where they flip roles and Kira interviews Cathy and Beth about their patient advocacy and stories. Hope you ...
Jan 13, 2023•36 min•Ep. 219
Happy New Year! Joining us for the first episode of 2023 is Betsy Humphreys, Karen Volle and Karina Mancini, who will share their experience with the New Hampshire-Maine Leadership Education Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) and the New England Regional Genetics Network programs, and how they relate to genetics advocacy. Elizabeth Humphreys is the Director of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program at the University of New Hampshire, a graduate leadership ...
Jan 06, 2023•33 min•Ep. 218
Patient advocate, Mike Graglia, and genetic counselor, Elli Brimble, join DNA Today for a conversation about SYNGAP1-related non-syndromic intellectual disability, a rare genetic disorder caused by a variant on the SYNGAP1 gene. Mike Graglia has always worked on complicated problems – he can’t help himself. So when his son was diagnosed with SYNGAP1 in 2018, he founded the SynGAP Research Fund and continues to lead it as a volunteer. Mike has been trying to make the world a better place for a wh...
Dec 30, 2022•37 min•Ep. 217
Nicka Smith (she/her), a pro genealogist with over 20 years of experience, joins DNA Today for our second to last episode of the year! She is the host of BlackProGen LIVE , a web series focused on genealogy and family history with a special focus on people of color. Nicka Smith is a professional photographer, speaker, host, consultant, and documentarian with more than 20 years of experience as a genealogist. She has extensive experience in African ancestored genealogy, reverse genealogy, and is ...
Dec 23, 2022•34 min•Ep. 216
Our guest today is Dahlia Attia-King , Founder and CEO of Panacea . Panacea’s mission is to improve access and utilization of genetic testing by offering affordable whole exome sequencing, physician oversight, and genetic counseling all in a 10 minute workflow. This week we are chatting about utilizing whole exome sequencing for preventive health. Dahlia’s education in biology and experience working with genetic laboratories exposed her to the reality that many middlemen stood in the way of pati...
Dec 16, 2022•32 min•Ep. 215
Are you seeking a position as a Genetic Assistant? People in these vital roles aid with clinical and research patient communication, data entry, genetic testing coordination, and administrative tasks. Therefore training is key! We recommend The Genetic Assistant Online Training Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. This online program provides knowledge and skills to learners considering Genetic Assistant positions or those recently hired into these roles who need job training....
Dec 09, 2022•48 min•Ep. 214
It’s December which means Spotify Wrapped was announced! If you are one of the 2,616 people that had us on your Spotify Wrapped Podcast section, tag us in your story or post for a shoutout on the show! Thanks to Maya, Em, Carly, Allison and LittleDipperPomskies, for already sharing. For those that don’t follow us on social media @DNATodayPodcast, here are this year’s highlights…So far this year we have produced 1,747 minutes of new content, that’s nearly 30 straight hours. And it’s more than 98%...
Dec 02, 2022•32 min•Ep. 213
We are recapping and reflecting on the National Society of Genetic Counselors 41st Annual conference , which was just held in Nashville. Some attendees joined in virtually and others, like myself, joined in person. It was incredible to meet so many of you listeners. I am already looking forward to NSGC 2023 in Chicago in October. If I didn’t get a chance to say hi to you, or you couldn’t attend the conference, email me at info@DNAtoday.com . I’d love to connect and also add you to our email news...
Nov 20, 2022•31 min•Ep. 212
Our guest in this episode is Jorge Contreras, author of The Genome Defense . In this riveting, behind-the-scenes courtroom drama, a brilliant legal team battles corporate greed and government overreach for the fundamental right to control our genes. We’re giving away 5 copies of The Genome Defense, so be sure to check out our social media accounts for the giveaway details. If you don’t win, you can get a copy here . When you buy a copy of the book, half of the proceeds are donated to FORCE , an ...
Nov 18, 2022•41 min•Ep. 211
After two years of virtual NSGC conferences, I can’t wait to see many of you in Nashville next week! Say “hi” if you see me! If you want to be featured in our NSGC recap episodes, let me know. I would love to capture your impression of the conference to feature on the episode. Maybe you will get DNA Today merch in exchange… I will be spending a lot of time in the exhibit hall, so look for me there. As some of you may know our host, Kira Dineen, is a prenatal genetic counselor! Today’s episode to...
Nov 11, 2022•34 min•Ep. 210
When our host, Kira Dineen, began her career as a genetic counselor she was mostly starting from scratch because the private practice she works at hadn’t had a genetic counselor in two years. So she met with a bunch of labs to ask them about their tests so she could decide who she would be ordering from. As a brand new genetic counselor, it was hard for Kira to figure out what the important aspects of genetic testing were, so she wanted to dive into what makes a quality genetic test in this epis...
Nov 04, 2022•34 min•Ep. 209
In 2012, the 100,000 Genomes Project was announced, the same year we started this podcast! Back in 2015 we did an episode about the 100,000 Genomes Project so we’re excited to revisit this massive project today with Dr. Julian Barwell , who is a clinical geneticist and has countless titles but today’s most relevant one is the operational clinical lead of the 100,000 Genome project. After finishing his Clinical Genetics training (2001-2007) at Guy's, St George's and the Royal Marsden from the Uni...
Oct 28, 2022•36 min•Ep. 208
As some of you may know, our host Kira Dineen also co-produces the “Patient Empowerment Program” by n-Lorem. The podcast launched earlier this year and focuses solely on the needs of people with nano-rare diseases. These are people who have a unique pathogenic variant (aka mutation) that affects 30 or less people in the world, sometimes just one person. The host of the show is Dr. Stan Crooke, who will be a familiar voice to you if you are a long time listener of DNA Today. He was on Episode 141...
Oct 21, 2022•37 min•Ep. 207
Dr. Lora Bean gives an overview of phenotypically-driven clinical results in this episode of DNA Today! Dr. Lora Bean is a clinical molecular geneticist who currently serves as the Senior Director of Quality Assurance at PerkinElmer Genomics . Dr. Bean has expertise in traditional clinical molecular testing as well as newer techniques such as next generation exome and genome sequencing. She has served as a molecular editor for GeneReviews and as a member of the American College of Medical Geneti...
Oct 14, 2022•39 min•Ep. 206
Y’all YOU made it happen. DNA Today won the Best 2022 Science & Medicine Podcast Award ! We are honored to defend our title for the THIRD year in a row. Thank you listeners! An astonishing 5.7 MILLION people voted in the Podcast Awards this year, so it truly took each and every one of you for DNA Today to win. This was perfect timing to close out September which marked a decade of DNA Today and our 200th episode. Huge shoutout to our sponsors who make this show possible! I was able to mention a ...
Oct 07, 2022•39 min•Ep. 205
Are you thinking about a career in genetic counseling? Maybe you are a current student or even a recent grad… Then you have to head over to our social media for a MAJOR giveaway right now! We have assembled 15 genetic counselors, including myself and some other familiar faces/voices. All 15 of us are going to be mentors for a lucky 15 listeners. That’s right you can meet with us for a 1 hour Zoom call for 1:1 mentoring. This is a giveaway so you just go to our Instagram and Twitter, and my Linke...
Sep 30, 2022•50 min•Ep. 204
Are you thinking about a career in genetic counseling? Maybe you are a current student or even a recent grad… Then you have to head over to our social media for a MAJOR giveaway right now! We have assembled 15 genetic counselors, including myself and some other familiar faces/voices. All 15 of us are going to be mentors for a lucky 15 listeners. That’s right you can meet with us for a 1 hour Zoom call for 1:1 mentoring. This is a giveaway so you just go to our Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter ...
Sep 23, 2022•36 min•Ep. 203
Learn about a genetic disorder called duchenne muscular dystrophy! We explore the genetics of DMD and treatments available with two experts in the field. We’re joined by genetic counselor, Ann Martin , who serves as the VP of Community Research and Genetic Services at Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy . Our other guest is world-renowned geneticist Dr. Madhuri Hegde from PerkinElmer Genomics . She is the Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Global Lab Services at PerkinElmer. ...
Sep 16, 2022•38 min•Ep. 202
It’s Sickle Cell Awareness month, so we are sharing this episode of Lifting the Veil podcast where Beveraly Mills and Elaine Buck interview our host, Kira Dineen, about the condition! On Lifting the Veil, Beverly and Elaine cover, and uncover, the truth about African-American history. Misconceptions, lies, skewed facts, and untruths about the African-American narrative get straightened out here, once and for all. On This Episode We Discuss: Health disparities specifically in black community Birt...
Sep 09, 2022•29 min•Ep. 201
This is a milestone episode for two reasons. As you may have noticed, it’s our 200th episode. Technically we had about 20 episodes prior to numbering them, but these are mini lessons and not really full episodes. These started when we were broadcasting live from WHUS 91.7 FM. The other milestone is that September 1st marks 10 years of DNA Today. We released our first episode in 2012. Back then our host and producer, Kira Dineen, was starting her senior year of high school, fast forward a decade ...
Sep 02, 2022•28 min•Ep. 200
We have two special announcements! Next episode we will be celebrating a decade of DNA Today! That’s right, we released our first episode on September 1st, 2012. It also coincides with our 200th episode. We want to mark these milestones with you on the show. So send in your favorite episode. You can write it, or better yet, record a voice memo sharing your favorite episode and why you enjoy listening to the show. After all, our podcast would not be possible without you loyal listeners. That’s wh...
Aug 26, 2022•31 min•Ep. 199
We have two special announcements! Very soon we will be celebrating a decade of DNA Today! That’s right, we released our first episode on September 1st, 2012. It also coincides with our 200th episode. We want to mark these milestones with you on the show. So send in your favorite episode. You can write it, or better yet, record a 30-60 second voice memo sharing your favorite episode and why you enjoy listening to the show. After all, our podcast would not be possible without you loyal listeners....
Aug 19, 2022•36 min•Ep. 198
We have two special announcements! Very soon we will be celebrating a decade of DNA Today! That’s right, we released our first episode on September 1st, 2012. It also coincides with our 200th episode. We want to mark these milestones with you on the show. So send in your favorite episode. You can write it, or better yet, record a voice memo sharing your favorite episode and why you enjoy listening to the show. After all, our podcast would not be possible without you loyal listeners. That’s why w...
Aug 12, 2022•36 min•Ep. 197
This week we are joined by two mitochondrial experts who are very active in the rare disease community. We are focusing our conversation on a condition called Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). Lissa Poincenot is a patient advocate with the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation and she has a son that has been diagnosed with LHON. Devin Shuman (she/her) is a genetic counselor at Genetic Support Foundation who also has a nano-rare mitochondrial disorder called GUK1. Lissa received a Bache...
Aug 05, 2022•43 min•Ep. 196
Help us to defend our title as the Best Science and Medicine Podcast! Go to podcastawards.com and select “DNA Today” in the Science and Medicine category. Bonus if you tweet/post that you nominated DNA Today (and tag us), then we will share your post and give you a shoutout on the show as a thank you. You have the power to get DNA Today nominated again! Our guest this week is Dr. Tod Klingler , who is the head of product research and development at Genomic Life . Over his 25-year career, Dr. Kli...
Jul 29, 2022•34 min•Ep. 195
Help us to defend our title as the Best Science and Medicine Podcast! Go to podcastawards.com and select “DNA Today” in the Science and Medicine category. Bonus if you tweet/post that you nominated DNA Today (and tag us), then we will share your post and give you a shoutout on the show as a thank you. You have the power to get DNA Today nominated again! This week we’re continuing our Q and A discussion on genetic counseling program apps with Mikayla Stoecker, Founder & CEO of GC Prep, and Janell...
Jul 22, 2022•32 min•Ep. 194
Help us to defend our title as the Best Science and Medicine Podcast! Go to podcastawards.com and select “DNA Today” in the Science and Medicine category. Bonus if you tweet/post that you nominated DNA Today (and tag us), then we will share your post and give you a shoutout on the show as a thank you. You have the power to get DNA Today nominated again! Y’all asked and we answered! Some of our most popular episodes are about the genetic counseling application process, so we are doing a QnA about...
Jul 15, 2022•41 min•Ep. 193
Atticus Shaffer of The Middle on ABC discusses life with osteogenesis imperfecta and his acting career.
Jul 08, 2022•44 min•Ep. 192
