Europe gives recognition to the Master in Genetic Consultancy

The Master in Genetic Consultancy has received recognition from the European Society of Human Genetics. The master's degree programme run by Luís Pérez Jurado has been validated as one of the programmes formally accredited for the training of Genetic Counsellors in Europe, after having been endorsed by the members of the European Board of Medical Genetics Counsellor Division.

The official European ratification for the training of the genetic counsellor profession in Spain is especially important as only four more programmes have been accredited in Europe (two in the United Kingdom, one in France and one in Portugal).

The Master in Genetic Consultancy prepares the participant to be a Genetic Counsellor, a key figure in healthcare, whose training includes in-depth theoretical knowledge of Medical Genetics on the one hand, and multidisciplinary professional training in order to gather and pass on information to patients and their families. This implies a command of the psychosocial, educational, affective, biological and medical aspects of genetic disorders and of the specific problems of patients and families that suffer or are at risk of suffering from them.

The master's programme is the Pompeu Fabra University's response to the emergence of molecular technology applicable to the diagnosis and treatment of genetic disorders and to the disproportionate evolution of Genetics compared to other medical specialities.