1999 Presidential Address to the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

Abstract

It is a tremendous honor to be standing here today as president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), and I want to express my appreciation for this opportunity. As I look to the year ahead and the different responsibilities of this position, I admit to having feelings of both excitement and some trepidation. It is a daunting task to lead an organization, especially into the next century, and at a time when the whole field of genetics is rapidly advancing. While I anticipate less sleep and more chocolate consumption in the year ahead, I am firmly committed to doing my best to represent and lead NSGC. I would like to share some thoughts about our annual education conferences and the recent board decision, the importance of our participation in the wider genetics community, and to present some projects for the coming year. The first NSGC Annual Education Conference that I attended was in 1987 in San Diego. I was then a student in the University of Michigan genetic counseling program, and my whole class was there—all two of us. I was 1 of 350 attending the conference. Since 1987, the number of conference attendees has grown to more than 800, and NSGC membership has more than doubled to almost 1,800. The fact is that the number of conference attendees in this room today significantly exceeds what was our total membership in 1987. Being at a conference, especially for the first time is overwhelming, and so I confess that I went off to the outdoor hot tub. I thought I was escaping, but I was mistaken. Instead, I was networking, albeit in a less formal setting! As I learned from the hot tub experience, networking is an important aspect of these conferences, and it occurs in a multitude of places. I initially became involved in NSGC thanks to the mentoring of my program director, Diane Baker, M.S. While I have given a lot of time to NSGC over the years, I have gained much in return—increased knowledge, new skills, and