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. 2024:2:101820.
doi: 10.1016/j.gimo.2024.101820. Epub 2024 Feb 1.

The challenges and opportunities of offering and integrating training in clinical molecular genetics and clinical cytogenetics: A survey of LGG Fellowship Program Directors

Joshua L Deignan  1 , Vimla Aggarwal  2 , Allen E Bale  3 , Daniel B Bellissimo  4 , Jessica K Booker  5 , Yang Cao  6 , Kristy R Crooks  7 , Kristen L Deak  8 , Daniela Del Gaudio  9 , Birgit Funke  10 , Nicole L Hoppman  11 , Vanessa Horner  12 , Robert B Hufnagel  13 , Colleen Jackson-Cook  14 , Prasad Koduru  15 , Marco L Leung  16   17 , Shibo Li  18 , Pengfei Liu  19   20 , Minjie Luo  21 , Rong Mao  22   23 , Heather Mason-Suares  24   25 , Fady M Mikhail  26 , Stephen R Moore  27 , Rizwan C Naeem  28 , Laura M Pollard  29 , Elena A Repnikova  30 , Lina Shao  31 , Brandon M Shaw  32 , Shashirekha Shetty  33   34 , Teresa A Smolarek  35   36 , Elizabeth Spiteri  37 , Jessica Van Ziffle  38 , Gail H Vance  39 , Cindy L Vnencak-Jones  40 , Eli S Williams  41
Affiliations

The challenges and opportunities of offering and integrating training in clinical molecular genetics and clinical cytogenetics: A survey of LGG Fellowship Program Directors

Joshua L Deignan et al. Genet Med Open. 2024.

Abstract

Purpose: The specialty of Laboratory Genetics and Genomics (LGG) was created in 2017 in an effort to reflect the increasing convergence in technologies and approaches between clinical molecular genetics and clinical cytogenetics. However, there has not yet been any formal evaluation of the merging of these disciplines and the challenges faced by Program Directors (PDs) tasked with ensuring the successful training of laboratory geneticists under the new model.

Methods: An electronic multi-question Qualtrics survey was created and was sent to the PD for each of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited LGG fellowship programs at the time. The data were collected, and the responses were aggregated for each question.

Results: All of the responding PDs had started training at least 1 LGG fellow. PDs noted challenges with funding, staff shortages, molecular/cytogenetics content integration, limited total training time, increased remote work, increased sendout testing, and a lack of prior cytogenetics knowledge among incoming fellows.

Conclusion: This survey attempted to assess the challenges that LGG PDs have been facing in offering and integrating clinical molecular genetics and clinical cytogenetics fellowship training. Common challenges between programs were noted, and a set of 6 concluding comments are provided to facilitate future discussion.

Keywords: ACGME; Cytogenetics; Fellowship; Molecular genetics; Training.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Fellowship program length. A. Fellowship starting year. B. Current length of fellowship. C. Justification for fellowship length. ACGME, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; LGG, Laboratory Genetics and Genomics.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Fellow background. A. Expectations for fellow applicants. B. Observations from accepted fellows. LGG, Laboratory Genetics and Genomics.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Molecular and cytogenetics training time. A. Ideal proportion of molecular training time. B. Ideal proportion of cytogenetics training time. LGG, Laboratory Genetics and Genomics.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Rotation length and integration. A. Rotation length. B. Current mechanism for integration. LGG, Laboratory Genetics and Genomics.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Top barriers for a successful Laboratory Genetics and Genomics (LGG) program. ACGME, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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