NCHPEG is pleased to announce that Joan A. Scott, M.S., C.G.C., has agreed to accept the position of Executive Director upon current Executive Director Joseph McInerney’s retirement. The changes are effective September 7, 2010.

“I am very excited about the opportunity of working with the NCHPEG staff and board,” said Joan. “Genomics has the potential to profoundly change how we practice medicine, making NCHPEG’s mission even more critical to ensure that health professionals have the tools and information they need to incorporate those changes into practice.”

Joan is a certified genetic counselor with more than 30 years of experience in clinical genetics, education, the biotechnology industry, and genetic policy whose career has focused on the application of genomic discoveries to healthcare. Joan is currently the Director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University.

With genetic testing becoming increasingly pervasive in medical care and our daily lives, three of the most prominent organizations in genetics—the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University, the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics, and Genetic Alliance—have teamed up to produce educational materials about the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), a landmark federal law that protects individuals from the misuse of genetic information in health insurance and employment.

Nominations for the 7th annual Michael J. Scotti, Jr. award, which recognizes contributions to genetics education for health professionals, are due in the NCHPEG office by 11 June 2010.