UB’s genetic counseling program, the first in SUNY, receives accreditation

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo’s new Genetic Counseling Graduate Program has received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC), the field’s national accrediting organization. 

The two-year Master of Science program, which will be administered by the Office of Biomedical Education in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, will prepare students to become board-certified genetic counselors who help patients understand genetic risks and guide decision-making.

Applications to the program will open Aug. 1 and run through Dec. 15. More information can be found at medicine.buffalo.edu/education/genetic-counseling. 

The program has already received approvals from SUNY and the New York State Education Department. With the program’s start in fall 2026, UB will be the first public university in New York State to offer a master’s in genetic counseling.

“All patients in Western New York should have access to the health benefits of genetic and genomic medicine,” says Lindsey M. Alico, a board-certified genetic counselor and director of UB’s Genetic Counseling Graduate Program. The Orchard Park native joined UB in 2023 from Sarah Lawrence College, where she previously co-directed its genetic counseling program, the nation’s oldest and largest.

Laurie S. Sadler, MD, clinical associate professor of pediatrics and a clinical geneticist in Buffalo for over 30 years, is the UB program’s first medical director.

Helping patients

Genetic counselors don’t directly diagnose conditions or prescribe therapies. They instead offer guidance and information about inherited diseases that may affect patients and their families.

Genetic counselors help patients and providers understand the clinical implications of complex genetic test results in order to make more informed health care decisions. Expectant parents may see a genetic counselor after an abnormal carrier screening test or ultrasound. Patients may also be referred to a genetic counselor to determine if a recently diagnosed disease has a genetic component.

“Sometimes we see someone who’s been diagnosed with cancer and has an unusual feature, like a rare type of cancer or diagnosis at a young age, and they want to know the chance that it was due to a hereditary cause,” says Alico, clinical assistant professor in the Jacobs School’s Office of Biomedical Education.

Most health care providers have received little genetics training while in school and would benefit from more support in genetic-related care, Alico says. While telehealth has improved access to genetic counselors, there’s demand for more counselors, both locally and nationally.

“A genetic counselor spends time with patients, time that physicians and other health care providers do not have,” says Jennifer A. Surtees, PhD, professor of biochemistry and associate dean for undergraduate education and STEM outreach in the Jacobs School.

The idea for creating a genetic counseling degree program coincided with the 2015 launch of UB’s Genome, Environment and Microbiome Community of Excellence, or GEM, which promotes genetics, genomics and microbiome research and outreach to advance understanding of personal health issues. Surtees is GEM’s co-director and spearheaded the genetic counseling effort, shepherding the program through its curricular development and early approvals.

She worked closely with Carolyn Farrell, PhD, who directed the Clinical Genetics Service at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center for over 15 years, and with Norma J. Nowak, PhD, professor of biochemistry and co-director of GEM.

Throughout the development process, Surtees says it was key to involve faculty from many schools — including medicine, nursing, public health, pharmacy, law, social work, education, and arts and sciences — to garner their perspectives on genetics. 

“UB has this breadth of capacity. So we really wanted to take advantage of that,” says Surtees.

She adds that the launch of the program is a return to the region’s historical contributions to genetic and genomic research, noting UB researchers’ involvement with the Human Genome Project and achievements in neo-natal testing for PKU and for sickle cell anemia.    

Interdisciplinary approach

Emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches within the genetic counseling curriculum underscores the varied roles counselors are expected to fulfill. Surtees notes that genetic counselors, for example, must understand legal implications of handling delicate information. They also act as educators, teaching patients and providers about genetics and how to integrate laboratory results with clinical information.

The practice of genetic counseling is rooted in patient autonomy. “Genetic counselors are experts in communication and help facilitate decision-making,” says Alico. “We don’t tell people what they must do.”

In addition to genetics and genomics expertise, the curriculum will focus on specialized communication and counseling that’s culturally and socially sensitive. Genetic counseling also requires deep understanding of ethics, as the process often reveals sensitive information about family histories, health concerns and personal values, Alico says. Ethics will be emphasized throughout the program.

Applicants to genetic counseling programs participate in an admissions match overseen by the Genetic Counselor Educators Association that places them into accredited programs. Interviews will take place during the spring semester, with the first student cohort beginning classes in fall 2026. UB’s program will enroll four students initially, Alico says, but will expand to include six students per class.

Students in the program will complete 61 credits from classes taken over 21 months. In addition to completing a master’s thesis, students must complete clinical rotations with certified genetic counselors. Surtees and Alico acknowledge the commitment local genetic counselors have made to developing the master’s program and to supervising and teaching students.

Board-certified genetic counselors

Program graduates will be able to sit for the American Board of Genetic Counseling certification exam to become a Certified Genetic Counselor, a required credential to practice in most areas.

In New York State, Alico notes that genetic counselors do not have licensure and therefore cannot operate independently; they must be embedded within an existing hospital or practice. Thirty-five other U.S. states, however, issue licenses for genetic counselors.

Launching the genetic counseling master’s program will boost awareness of genetic counseling and ultimately offer the service more widely to the community. A goal of the program is to train genetic counselors who will then stay and practice in Western New York.