Genetics education for clinicians

Should clinicians such as speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and audiologists receive systematic training in genetics? Over 500 SLPs and audiologists answered this question with a resounding YES! Together with her colleagues at the American Society of Human Genetics and the Jackson Laboratory, Dr. Peter conducted a survey of ASHA members. The consensus was clear: Genetics will become increasingly more relevant to our clinical practice, and to meet this challenge, we need more training in genetics! The survey results will soon appear in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (Peter, B., Hanson, K., Reed, E.K., Edelman, E. & Dougherty, M.J. (in press). Perceived gaps in genetics training among audiologists and speech-language pathologists: Lessons from a national survey. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. ). Dr. Peter and her colleagues have long been active in developing meaningful training goals and curricula that help prepare our clinician for tomorrow's challenges at the workplace. The gist of our work is summed in the title of a workshop that we gave jointly at the 2017 ASHA convention: Genetics for SLPs and audiologists: How to spot red flags and make the right referrals (Peter, B. & Dougherty, M. (2017). Genetics for SLPs and audiologists: How to spot red flags and make the right referrals. Seminar, American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention, November 9-11, Los Angeles). At ASU, Dr. Peter teaches a full course on genetics for graduate students (Molecules, Markers, Management: Introduction to genetics for clinicians). At Saint Louis University, where she is adjunct faculty, she teaches a week-long intensive course on genetics for speech-language pathologists.

Behavior genomics as a new initiative at ASU

Behavior genomics is the study of the interplay of genetic variation, environmental influences, and behavioral traits. At ASU, we are poised to create a new initiative that leverages our expertise in a wide range of behavioral and molecular sciences and neuroscience. Under Dr. Peter's leadership, a team of hand-selected ASU faculty members is shaping the vision, the mission, and the process of behavior genomics at ASU.