Jennifer Ibrahim, MD, Head of North America Medical Affairs, Rare Disease at Sanofi Genzyme, explains the difference between a geneticist and a genetic counselor.
According to Dr. Ibrahim, medical geneticists are physicians trained in the identification and management of genetic conditions either through genetic residency programs or fellowship. Genetic counselors, on the other hand, are master’s level trained, although they are still adept at the analysis of family history and interpreting genetic test results. Dr. Ibrahim notes that, while genetic counselors are thought to be more involved with their patients and with patient advocacy than geneticists are, this is not always true.
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