Genetics Conference Highlights Present, Future Clinical Nursing Applications

Advances in genetic research and their implications for patient care will be explored by national experts at a Dec. 5 and 6 conference sponsored by The University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston.

“From the Bench to the Bedside: Clinical Applications of Genetics” is at the Warwick Hotel in Houston. General clinical and practice issues will be addressed, along with the genetic aspects of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, breast cancer, and cystic fibrosis.

Keynote speaker is Felissa Lashley, Ph.D., professor and dean of Rutgers University’s School of Nursing. The first nurse to be certified as a Ph.D. medical geneticist by the American Board of Medical Genetics, Lashley also is author of “Clinical Genetics in Nursing Practice,” and is a founding fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics.

Most major diseases have a genetic component, but lifestyle and other factors also influence the health status of individuals. Nursing experts see in this complex blend of causes, an opportunity to more precisely tailor patient care.

“What we see emerging is that health care will become more individualized than it is now, based on a patient’s genotype and how they react to certain medications and treatments,” said UT-Houston School of Nursing Dean Patricia L. Starck, D.S.N. “We sponsored this conference to explore how nursing fits into this new world of genetic health care.”

Other speakers include Gladys White, Ph.D., director of the Center for Ethics and Human Rights at the American Nurses Association; Mindy Tinkle, Ph.D., program director for intramural research and training at the National Institute for Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health.

Lorraine Frazier, D.S.N., director of TexGen, a major collaboration among Texas Medical Center institutions to uncover the genetic aspects of cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer, will speak on genetic research advancing cardiovascular health. Frazier, an associate professor of nursing systems and technology at UT-Houston, also conducts research on pharmacogenomics – matching medicine to a patient’s genetic makeup.

Eric Boerwinkle, Ph.D., director of the Human Genetics Center of the University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, and a leading researcher on the genetics of hypertension, stroke and other cardiovascular disease, also will speak on cardiovascular health.

Issues in diabetes care will be addressed by Craig Hanis, Ph.D., UT-Houston School of Public Health professor of biological sciences and co-discoverer of the first genetic variation tied to type 2 diabetes, and Sharon Brown, Ph.D., associate vice president for research at The University of Texas at Austin.

Julie Lindner, genetics counselor at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston will discuss the genetics of breast cancer. Julie Katkin, M.D., of Texas Children’s Hospital, will address the genetics of cystic fibrosis.

Janet Williams, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Iowa College of Nursing, will close the two-day program with a session on “The Future of Nursing and Genetics.” Williams, a genetics nurse specialist who is also a board-certified genetics counselor, has research interests that include behavioral aspects of Turner Syndrome and coping with the results of presymptomatic testing for Huntington’s disease.

“Genetics 101,” an optional two-hour preconference workshop on Dec. 4, covers basic cell biology, selected clinical disorders, and targeted molecular therapies.

Conference participants may earn up to 12.5 continuing education contact hours. Registration is $130. The student fee is $50.

For information, contact Dixie Paulson at (713) 500-2024 or or e-mail Dixie.L.Paulson@uth.tmc.edu.

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