#302 DNA Dialogues: Gender-Affirming Terminology and Hereditary Cancer Care

As many of our listeners know, our host Kira Dineen is a member of the LGBQTIA+ community and thought this was an important episode to share with listeners. She is also on the DNA Dialogues team and is always excited to share episodes.

In this episode of DNA Dialogues we delve into the importance of gender-inclusive language in genetic counseling and the specific challenges transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals face in accessing hereditary cancer care. You can find these articles in a special virtual issue of the Journal of Genetic Counseling which is free and open access for the month of June. You can find the Journal of Genetic Counseling webpage via onlinelibrary.wiley.com or via the National Society of Genetic Counselors website.

Segment 1 “Use of gender-inclusive language in genetic counseling to optimize patient care”

Heather Motiff graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2006. She has extensive experience working as a crisis response advocate and co-facilitating support groups for survivors of intimate partner violence. Heather discovered her interest in genetic counseling during her first pregnancy in 2010. She has served as a Community Resource Specialist and contributed significantly to gender-affirming care initiatives during her graduate studies at UW-Madison. Heather is now an oncology genetic counselor at SSM Health Cancer Care in Madison, WI, and is dedicated to providing inclusive, quality healthcare and genetic services.

In this segment we discuss:

• Specific examples and terms used in gender-inclusive language.
• Comfort levels of genetic counselors with using gender-inclusive language.
• Findings from thematic analyses on the use of gendered language and its impact on patient care.
• Suggestions for additional training resources for healthcare professionals.

Segment 2 “Experiences of hereditary cancer care among transgender and gender diverse people: “It's gender. It's cancer risk…it's everything”

Sarah Roth is a genetic counselor and a PhD candidate in Anthropology at Johns Hopkins University. She is a BRCA1 carrier whose research focuses on the experiences of patients, communities, and providers in cancer care and genomic medicine. Sarah has been a founding editor of Tendon at JHU’s Center for Medical Humanities & Social Medicine, a contributing writer at Synapsis: A Health Humanities Journal, and a recent predoctoral fellow in Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health.

In this segment, we discuss:

• Challenges faced by TGD individuals in accessing hereditary cancer care.
• Participants' perspectives on gendered language in healthcare.
• Actionable recommendations for healthcare providers to support TGD individuals with hereditary cancer syndromes.

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Be sure to check out other episodes of DNA Dialogues by searching “DNA Dialogues” in your favorite podcast app or here. Check out the Journal of Genetic Counseling here for articles featured in this episode and others.

Any questions, episode ideas, guest pitches, or comments can be sent into DNADialoguesPodcast@gmail.com. DNA Dialogues’ team includes Jehannine Austin, Naomi Wagner, Khalida Liaquat, Kate Wilson and our own, Kira Dineen. Our logo was designed by Ashlyn Enokian.

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