- With Mayo Clinic genetic counselor
Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
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Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
"We must begin now to prepare for the future; we cannot wait until the details are known or fully understood."*
— David B. Schowalter, M.D., Ph.D., former Mayo geneticist, (*posthumous)
Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C., is a board-certified genetic counselor who specializes in hereditary cancer syndromes. One of her main professional interests is the family medical history.
"Recognizing features in the family history which may suggest an underlying single gene disorder can have a huge impact on families," she says. "Identifying a genetic susceptibility gene can allow family members to more accurately understand their risk of disease and empower those who have an increased genetic susceptibility to take control of their medical management and lifestyle factors which may influence this risk."
She received her B.S. in biology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2002 and M.S. in genetic counseling from the University of Minnesota in 2004.
She was a clinical genetic counselor at the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wis., before joining Mayo Clinic in August 2006 as a genetic counselor and educator for the grant-funded Mayo Eisenberg Genomics Education Program. During her time in Wisconsin, she was also an active member of the metabolic subcommittee of the state Newborn Screening Program and co-facilitated a phenylketonuria clinic.
At Mayo Clinic, she provides physician and staff education about clinically relevant topics in genomics. She also manages multiple education projects championed by Mayo Clinic physicians and is a faculty member for Mayo Medical School. In addition to her education roles, she sees adult patients in the Department of Medical Genetics.
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Genetics blog
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Nov. 1, 2008
Genetic discrimination: Something to be frightened of?
By Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
There are many things that might frighten you about genetics — the complexity of it, your psychological reaction to a genetic diagnosis, how to explain a result to your family members, and most often reported, the possibility of genetic discrimination.
Genetic discrimination refers to the possibility of an insurance company gaining access to your medical records or results of genetic testing and using this information to determine coverage or set premiums. To my knowledge, there has never actually been a case of genetic discrimination that has gone to trial, yet people continue to cite the possibility as a major reason they chose not to pursue genetic testing.
To help limit these concerns, the U.S. government signed the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA) into law in May 2008. This law:
- Prohibits both group and individual health insurers from using a person's genetic information in determining eligibility or premiums
- Prohibits an insurer from requesting or requiring that a person undergo a genetic test
- Prohibits employers from using a person's genetic information in making employment decisions
- Prohibits employers from requesting, requiring or purchasing genetic information about a person or their family members.
Unfortunately, GINA has some limitations. They include:
- It doesn't prohibit medical underwriting based upon an individual's current health status.
- It doesn't cover life, disability or long-term care insurance.
- It doesn't apply to members of the military.
The health insurance provisions of GINA will take effect in May 2009, while the employment provisions will take effect six months later in November 2009. I want to hear your thoughts on this subject: Have you had an experience where you felt discriminated against based on your genetic information? Do you think GINA provides enough security for patients? How do you think insurers will handle the rapid integration of genetics in medicine — will this become more or less of a concern? Let's talk!
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