Arcadia University’s Director of the M.S. in Genetic Counseling Kathleen Valverde, along with Rep. Thomas Killion (R-Delaware/Chester), is pleased to announce that the Pennsylvania Senate and House passed the genetic counseling licensure bills on Thursday, Dec. 12. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett on Dec. 22.

Valverde and Dr. Laura Conway, Assistant Professor, were instrumental in helping to get the bill passed, speaking before the PA House on the two bills that were sponsored by Rep. Killion on licensure for genetic counselors. See timeline.

“I am very excited about this,” says Valverde. “Pennsylvania will now be the 14th state in the US to have licensure for genetic counselors. It has been a six-year process for us but in the end we prevailed and the language in the bills is better. A bill signing ceremony is planned in January and we have been invited to participate.”

Valverde has more than 20 years of experience as a genetic counselor and has witnessed the evolution of the field she describes as “a medical subspecialty that helps individuals adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease.” As the Director of the Genetic Counseling master’s program, Valverde says it is vital to establish minimum competency requirements for those who practice as genetic counselors.