Penn Medicine in Philadelphia has announced a $9.7 million grant from the Warren Alpert Foundation (WAF) that will fund continuing education efforts for genetic counselors.

The grant will fund the recently established WAF-Career Ladder Education Program for Genetic Counseling at Penn, which aims to drive continued education for genetic counselors through multiple pathways, including the creation of state-of-the-art online continuing education unit (CEU) courses for genetic counselors. Penn will lead these efforts in close collaboration with four other institutions: Baylor College of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and the University of Washington School of Medicine.

In addition, it will support initiatives such as a certificate program with targeted area of advanced training and pathways for the development of a doctoral degree in genetic counseling, are being explored. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the genetics counseling field is expected to see rapid growth over the next decade. To enter the field, genetic counselors typically must complete a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree related to the field. Unlike other health professions, however, there are currently few opportunities to formally continue and advance their training with this career.

“Genetic counselors are crucial for all aspects of genomic medicine, including molecular diagnostics, clinical genetics, and genomics research, and are essential to modern healthcare systems,” said Daniel Rader, chair of genetics and chief of translational medicine and human genetics at Penn Medicine. “Creating a robust career ladder to support genetic counselors’ advanced training and professional development is critical in retaining genetic counselors in academic health systems, advancing genomics research, and implementing genomic information into clinical practice.”