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Get to Know Your Genetic Counselor

At the Cleveland Clinic's HealthHub, Charis Eng highlights the role of genetic counselors in the healthcare system.

Eng, who heads the clinic's Genomic Medicine Institute, says that genetic counselors "help make sense of complicated information and translate it into something that can benefit your health and your family’s health in very real ways."

As an example, she recommends working with a genetic counselor to review your family history before deciding which genetic tests may be necessary. "Genetics is not a fishing expedition," she says. "Nobody wants to go through tests they do not need."

She adds that genetic counselors should be contacted before genetic screening as well as afterward, and that they should work with doctors to create personalized health plans for patients.

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