Science Careers

What Genetic Counselors Bring to Tech: A Conversation with Jackie Tahiliani, MS, LCGC

What Genetic Counselors Bring to Tech: A Conversation with Jackie Tahiliani, MS, LCGC

Genetic counselors are the masters of interpreting and, more importantly, communicating uncertainty. They are trained to communicate complex and difficult information to families and patients about the risk of genetic disease based on an evaluation of family history, available testing options, and provide counseling services to understand results. Their training includes a blend of psychosocial counseling, critical thinking, problem-solving, and scientific knowledge, meaning they have a well-rounded skill set desirable to many fields. In fact, although many genetic counselors go on to interface with patients in a traditional clinical setting, there are opportunities to creatively apply genetic counseling to many different fields ranging from politics to tech, to nonprofits and more.