The University of the Philippines Manila will produce the first-ever genetic counsellors in the Philippines after establishing Master’s Degree Program in Genetic Counselling in 2011.

Dr. Carmencita Padilla, the Director of Newborn Screening Reference Center – National Institutes of Health, and Mercy Laurino, a genetic counsellor from the University of Washington, collaborated in developing the Philippines’ first genetic counselling program. Ms. Laurino, an awardee of the Balik Scientist Program (BSP) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), shared the importance of genetic counselling to health professionals in the country.

In her presentation during the 6^th International Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities in the Developing World (ICBD), she described genetic counsellors as “health professionals with specialized graduate degree and experience in areas of medical genetics and counselling”. They help identify families at risk of birth defects and explain its reasons.  In prenatal setting, mothers will be informed if their babies might have a birth defect so they could make informed decisions and develop family coping skills.

Ms. Laurino affirmed that genetic counselling program would increase the appreciation of genetic counselling as part of clinical medical genetics service, offer genetic education to patients and members of the family, refer patients and families to community and/or local government support services, and develop policies and practice guidelines to implement genetic counselling clinical services programs.

“It serves as a model on how to successfully develop and implement similar genetic counselling training programs in other developing countries,” Ms. Laurino emphasized.