Christine Patch

Wellcome Connecting Science | Various | Empowering People: Genetic Counselling in Focus

Helping patients cope with bad results

Professor Christine Patch is Principal Staff Scientist for Genomic Counselling at the Wellcome Genome Campus, in the Society and Ethics Research team. She is also the Clinical Lead for Genetic Counselling at Genomics England, the organisation leading the 100,000 Genomes Project.

Here, Christine shares how genetic counsellors support individuals to make decisions that are right for them, and to use their blend of skills to help people process an unexpected or unwanted result so that they feel empowered to take their next steps.

Portrait

Chrystal Ding, 2019

Christine started her career as a nurse and has worked in genetics since the 1980s. She has been involved in direct patient care as well as leading, developing and managing clinical genetic services. She is passionate about combining the science of genomics with the art of working alongside patients and their families coming to terms with the impact of genomic information in their lives. With the rise of genomic testing, and the insights and uncertainties that this brings, Christine’s work champions responsible uses of the technology in delivering effective patient and family-focused health services.