MDCGC 8th Annual Conference

The 2026 MDCGC Annual Conference will take place on October 9, 2026 at Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville, MD.

MDCGC’s REgistration for our annual education conference is officially live! Please Visit our conference website at  MDCGC 8th Annual Education Conference Tickets for more details and to register by 5pm on September 17th. We will not be able to accept any registrations After September 17th.

We hope you'll join us for a day filled with exciting educational content, opportunities to visit with our sponsors in the Exhibitor Hall, and a chance to connect with colleagues from across the region! Registration includes breakfast, lunch, and snacks provided by our generous sponsors. This event will be submitted to the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) for approval of Category 1 CEUs.

All genetic counselors and genetic counseling students are invited and encouraged to attend. If you are not a member of MDCGC and are interested in becoming a member, please visit the membership tab. Annual membership fees for MDCGC are $25. Members will recieve a discount on registration for this event.

Agenda

07:30 AM—Registration and Breakfast

Breakfast sponsored by Baylor Genetics

08:00 AM—Welcome and Opening Remarks

Colleen Schmidt – President, MDCGC. Dana Petry, ScM, CGC and Krista Schatz, MS, CGC – Chairs, State Meeting and Education Committee, MDCGC

08:15 AM—Taming the Tiger – Navigating Burnout

Stephanie Ashley, MGC, CGC - Stephanie Ashley Coaching and University of Maryland. Rachel Nusbaum, MS, CGC - Ambry Genetics

09:15 AM—Eye Know When to Refer: Practical Ophthalmology Genetics for Every GC

Kelsey Guthrie, MGC, CGC - Johns Hopkins University

09:45 AM—Break and Exhibitor Hall

AM Snack sponsored by Chiesi Pharmaceuticals

10:00 AM—KEYNOTE: Feels Like Home

Feels Like Home: Supporting Home Accessibility for Children with Disabilities. Rebecca Seltzer, MD, MHS - Johns Hopkins School of Medicine & Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Crystal Thomas, Parent and Advocate

11:00 AM—Research Award Presentations

Colleen Jodarski, MGC, CGC - University of Maryland and Juli Bollinger, MS - Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics

11:30 PM—Lunch Pick Up and Exhibitor Hall

Lunch sponsored by Ambry Genetics

12:00 PM—Rare but Real

Rare but Real: Co-creating a conversation guide to help rare disease patients share their experiences and support needs with friends and family. Breanna Beers, ScM, CGC - Kennedy Krieger Institute

12:45 PM—Updates in Pediatric Cancer Predisposition Syndrome

Christy Smith, ScM, CGC - Johns Hopkins University

01:15 PM— Break and Exhibitor Hall

PM Snack sponsored by Chiesi Pharmaceuticals

01:30 PM—Bringing genetics to the community: The GOLDEN project & APOL1 Action Alliance

Barbara Harrison, CGC - Howard University. Sharron Rouse - APOL1 Action Alliance.

02:15 PM—Gene Therapy in Action: Clinical Advances in Sickle Cell Anemia & Hearing Loss

Jennie Y. Law, MD and Jean Yared, MD - University of Maryland School of Medicine. John Lee, AuD, PhD - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.

03:30PM—Break and Exhibitor Hall

PM Snack sponsored by Chiesi Pharmaceuticals

03:45 PM—Complex, Curious, & Challenging Cases

Jacquelyn Britton, MGC, CGC - Johns Hopkins University. Brianna Glase-Stock, MS, CGC - Johns Hopkins University. Hannah Johnstonbaugh, MGC, CGC - University of Maryland . Christy Smith, ScM, CGC - Johns Hopkins University

04:45 PM—Closing Remarks and Evaluations

Dana Petry, ScM, CGC and Krista Schatz, MS, CGC

Stay tuned for an update from MDCGC regarding a post-conference happy hour!