Certified genetic counselor Deanna Darnes was the first Black student to graduate from her genetic counseling training program of The University of Texas Genetic Counseling Program (UTGCP) in 2010. Ten years later, there are over 5,000 genetic counselors in the United States, yet fewer than 50 are Black. Deanna discusses how whataboutisms can derail efforts to increase these numbers, recruitment strategies, and the new organization Black in Genetics (BIG), dedicated to amplifying the voices and work of Black-identifying geneticists across the U.S. and beyond.

Follow Deanna on Twitter: @furiousATGC

Black in Genetics on Twitter: @BlackInGenetics #BlackInGenetics

Related books recommended by Deanna:

Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present, by Harriet A. Washington

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin DiAngelo and Michael Eric Dyson

Black In Genetics (BIG)

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