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Inter-Society Coordinating Committee for Practitioner Education in Genomics

The Inter-Society Coordinating Committee for Practitioner Education in Genomics (ISCC-PEG) aims to improve genomic literacy of healthcare providers and enhance the effective practice of clinical genomic medicine by facilitating interactions among the key stakeholders in genomics education.

Overview

The Inter-Society Coordinating Committee for Practitioner Education in Genomics (ISCC-PEG) was formed in February 2013 from the Genomic Medicine IV meeting. Through ISCC-PEG, members can collaborate to identify educational needs and potential solutions, share best practices in educational approaches and develop educational resources.

ISCC-PEG membership includes over 260 representatives from societies, professional organizations, NIH institutes, industry as well as individuals with expertise in medical education.

Since its inception, ISCC-PEG has provided an important forum for discussion and, through project groups, conference calls and in-person meetings, developed resources for genomics education including webinars, published competencies and workshops at meetings of member organizations.
 

View a brief video about the ISCC-PEG.


Courtesy of the ISCC-PEG Rare Disease Project Group

 

Download the ISCC-PEG Poster (PDF)
Presented at the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting 2021

 

For more information on the ISCC-PEG and its mission, refer to ISCC-PEG Description.

 

2023 ISCC-PEG Annual Meeting photo

Participants from the ISCC-PEG 12th Annual Meeting on February 15, 2023. From left to right: Rich Haspel, Sara Roth, Abimbola Oladayo, Molly Felix, Shoumita Dasgupta, Phil Empey, Siddharth Prakash, Sabrina  Malone Jenkins, Kristine Crews, Trina Walker, Ava Willoughby, Valerie Willis, Emily Edelman, Rebecca Kronk, Heide Aungst, Nguyen Park, Robert Ostrander and Donna Messersmith. Photo Credit: Vijay-Kumar Solanki.

PowerPoint Downloads

ISCC-PEG powerpoint template

 

Downloadable Zoom Backgrounds

Zoom Background

 

Membership

ISCC-PEG membership consists of representatives from societies, professional organizations, NIH institutes, industry as well as individuals with expertise in healthcare education. The ISCC-PEG is co-chaired by an NIH official and an external member. Members include healthcare educators, nurses, genetic counselors, medical geneticists, pharmacists, dentists, physician assistants, and physicians from a variety of medical specialties.

If you or your organization have a demonstrated interest in health care professional genomics education, we welcome your involvement in the ISCC-PEG. Please complete the membership application.

Questions: ISCC-NHGRI@nih.gov.

ISCC-PEG Members submit information to the Compendium to describe their genomics education initiatives and interests to facilitate collaboration.

Membership Documents and Links

ISCC-PEG Co-Chairs

Donna Messersmith Jones, Ph.D.
Donna Messersmith, Ph.D.
  • Provider Education Specialist
  • Education and Community Involvement Branch
Richard Haspel
Richard L. Haspel, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Professor of Pathology
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School

Project Groups

The Inter-Society Coordinating Committee for Practitioner Education in Genomics (ISCC-PEG) commissioned four initial working groups to address major areas identified at the Genomic Medicine IV meeting that are critical to effective implementation of clinical genomics. Over time, additional project groups have been established. Project groups are proposed by and made up of ISCC-PEG members. These groups play a key role in addressing specific needs in genomics education and developing related resources.

 

Project Groups have developed resources, presentations for national meetings, and published articles and abstracts (for full list see “ISCC-PEG Accomplishments: 2020-2023”).

 

Examples of resources developed include:

 

See Retired Working Groups

Inclusion in the Practice of Genomic Medicine: Exploring the Impact of Implicit Biases Towards Disability 

Co-Chairs: Shoumita Dasgupta and Maya Sabatello

This group has developed CME/CEU-granting educational resources related to studying unconscious bias for individuals with disabilities during prenatal screening.

This Project Group's goals are to:

  1. Identify implicit and/or explicit bias held by medical students and clinicians towards individuals with physical and/or intellectual disability.
     
  2. Determine whether these biases impact genetic counseling recommendations in a prenatal setting.
     
  3. Assess whether training in patient-centered counseling can positively impact subjects' ability to appropriately make unbiased prenatal recommendations.
Inclusion in the Practice

Pharmacogenomics (PGx)

Co-Chairs: Phil Empey and Roseann S. Donnelly (Gammal)

This project group develops educational content for clinicians of all specialties. This is a multidisciplinary group that leverages expertise from nurses, PharmDs, physicians, researchers, and others with expertise in pharmacogenomics.

This Project Group is working on these goals:

  1. Create and/or re-purpose pharmacogenomics educational content and resources targeted to clinicians;
     
  2. Prepare for presentations at clinician professional meetings;
     
  3. Tailored pharmacogenomics educational content for nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, genetic counselors, physicians, researchers, and other healthcare professionals; and
     

Educate the public in pharmacogenomics to improve healthcare.

Seeking New Members

Pharmacogenomics Learning Series

Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing (DTC-GT)

Co-Chairs: Tracey Weiler and Houriya Ayoubieh

This project group creates educational information for primary care practitioners and other professionals to learn ways to integrate DTC-GT into clinical practice.

This Project Group is working on the following goals:

  1. Assessing need, generating ideas and facilitating development for additional DTC-GT educational resources for healthcare professionals and trainees.
     
  2. Identifying venues to partner with to develop and and distribute DTC-GT educational resources appropriate to the needs of organizations needing DTC-GT education (ISCC member organizations and others).
     
  3. Collecting and documenting existing DTC-GT information resources (including educational, position statements and peer-reviewed literature and news media)
     

Seeking New Members

DTC-GT FAQ

Rare Diseases

Chair: Sabrina Malone Jenkins

Project Group Goals:

  1. Educate healthcare professionals on available resources for rare genetic diseases.
     
  2. Develop resources to address the challenges of rare diseases, such as diagnostic delays, lack of available treatment guidelines, and limited referral pathways.
     
  3. Identify effective dissemination methods for information about rare diseases by specialty or practice area.
     

Seeking New Members

OB/GYN Genetics Curriculum

Co-Chairs: Barbara O’Brien and Louise Wilkins-Haug

Project Group Description:

We aim to develop a national Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) genetics/genomics curriculum. Our initial focus is on residents, but we hope the resources will be applicable to other healthcare providers involved in caring for OB/GYN patients.

Project Group Goals:

  1. Using a modified Delphi approach with the project group members and other experts, develop curricular learning objectives.
     
  2. Develop a curriculum and teaching tools for implementation.
     
  3. Disseminate and evaluate the curriculum at OB/GYN residency programs.
     
  4. Adapt the curriculum to other OB/GYN healthcare providers.

Seeking New Members

Adult Cardiovascular Genomics

Co-Chairs: Siddharth Prakash and Bansari Rajani

Project Group Goals:

  1. Fulfill an unmet need for adult cardiovascular genetics education for a global audience
     
  2. Increase awareness of heritable cardiovascular diseases by non-specialist health professionals, who are gatekeepers and partners in the diagnosis and treatment of these patients
     
  3. Improve the recognition and referral of patients with genetically triggered cardiovascular diseases
     
  4. Increase the diversity of faculty perspectives by featuring case-based modules that address genomic issues that are relevant to daily clinical cardiovascular practice
UTHealth Adult Cardiovascular Genomics Certificate Program

LGBTQI+ Issues in Genomics

Co-Chairs: Kelsey Bohnert and Lee Willams

Mission: To highlight and amplify awareness of LGBTQI+ identities, populations, and needs in genomic medicine and genomics education.

Vision: We envision an engaged and aware genomics workforce that seeks to remove barriers to testing and care for LGBTQI+ people, pursue education around LGBTQI+ population needs in genomics, and serve LGBTQI+ people with the highest standards of cultural humility and clinical competence.

Seeking New Members

Nursing Genomics

Co-Chairs: Trina Walker and Anne Ersig

Overall Mission: This project group aims to support the integration of genetics and genomics into nursing education and practice at all levels.

Project Group Goals:

  1. Define the role of the nurse in genetics and genomics
     
  2. Obtain support of nursing leaders to ensure continued emphasis of genetics and genomics in routine nursing education and practice
     
  3. Assemble available comprehensive and accessible working resources for nursing faculty, practicing nurses, and advanced practice clinicians

Project Group Proposal:

Seeking New Members

Nursing Genomics FAQ

Healthcare Professionals Genomics Education Listserv

The HCPGENOMICSED listserv is free and hosted by NHGRI and the ISCC-PEG. The goals of the listserv are to circulate timely information and new releases of genomics education resources, provide outreach to healthcare professionals in genomic healthcare, and promote collaboration among genomics educators. ISCC-PEG membership is encouraged, but not required for subscription.

Meetings and Activities

13th Annual Meeting
April 5, 2024

12th Annual Meeting
February 15, 2023

11th Annual Meeting (Virtual)
February 16, 2022

10th Annual Meeting (Virtual)
February 16, 2021

Ninth In-Person Meeting
February 25, 2020

Eighth In-Person Meeting
February 19, 2019

Seventh In-Person Meeting
February 1, 2018

Sixth In-Person Meeting
January 24, 2017

Fifth In-Person Meeting
January 14, 2016

Fourth In-Person Meeting
May 21, 2015

Third In-Person Meeting
November 18, 2014

Second In-Person Meeting
April 23, 2014

First In-Person Meeting
September 19-20, 2013

Plenary Session Minutes
Webinar: June 26, 2013

Related Resources

Genomics Education Resource Center (GenomeEd): an online repository of genomics educational materials, peer-reviewed by and for genetic counselors, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, and physicians. To assist in curriculum development, resources are mapped to discipline-specific published genomic competencies.

Global Genetics and Genomics Community (G3C): Genomic healthcare video simulations of unfolding case scenarios. Interview "patients" at your own pace and complete supplemental educational activities; includes assessments and a genomic expert commentary. ISCC has provided input for module development.

"Training Residents in Genomics" (TRIG): To prepare healthcare providers for genomic medicine, this website provides resources for workshops and courses. The "Universal Genomics Instructor Handbook and Toolkit," developed through the ISCC Innovative Approaches Working Group, is available on the website. These exercises can be adapted to almost any medical specialty and workshops have been held at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Neurology, American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Heart Association.

Recorded Webinars

Archived Articles

Archived Case Studies

Last updated: February 15, 2024