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The genetics program at Gallaudet University is dedicated
to providing education in genetics to both consumers and
professionals. We provide information about
hereditary deafness to
members of both the Deaf and hearing communities though
local, national and on-campus educational seminars. The Genetics program is
also involved in educating current
and future allied health professionals about various
aspects of genetics and hearing loss.
The
Distance Learning in
Genetics for EHDI Professionals Project
began in August 2006 with funding from Tm Bioscience and
the American College of Medical Genetics Foundation.
Project staff at Gallaudet University are working in
collaboration with geneticists at the Virginia
Commonwealth University and with the director and staff
of the National Center on Hearing Assessment and
Management to achieve two project goals: 1) to
improve the basic knowledge of EHDI (Early Hearing
Detection and Intervention) state coordinators and their
key staff members regarding genetic factors in hearing
loss and 2) to facilitate interaction among EHDI state
coordinators and their key staff members to share ideas
and improve their efforts to integrate genetics into
EHDI programs at the local level. Based on the
results of needs assessment targeted to EHDI state
coordinators (Burton et al. Genet Med 8(8):510-517,
2006), we have developed a distance learning course with
modules on specific topics in genetics to meet the
educational needs of these professionals. This
course is offered twice a year in the Fall and Spring
semesters. Please contact
Kathleen
Arnos, Project Director, for more information. The Summer Program in
Genetics was a week-long
educational conference held during the summers of
2003-2006. The goal of this program was to provide
audiology faculty from as many academic audiology
programs across the country as possible, with the
knowledge and skills to integrate more genetics content
into their own curricula. Audiology faculty
studied everything from the basic cell
biology to advanced information on the
genetics of hearing loss and deafness. The program
included lectures from respected clinical
geneticists, genetic counselors, audiology faculty, and
otolaryngologists. Interactive and hands-on activities
provided participants with the chance to work with DNA
models,
construct pedigrees, and sequence the connexin 26 gene.
Parents of deaf children
and Deaf adults served as panelists, sharing their experiences with genetic
testing and the effect that it has had on their families
and their lives. The course was followed by a year of
classroom support and access to our online classroom full
of valuable resources that faculty members use to
enhance their own courses in audiology. |
