Blum Center Program: Direct-to-Consumer and Consumer-initiated Genetic Testing

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) and consumer-initiated genetic tests are tests that can provide you with the opportunity to learn more about your genetic ancestry and connect with relatives, to explore your physical traits and preferences and even to better understand your inherited risk to develop diseases. In this recent Massachusetts General Hospital Blum Center presentation, genetic counselors from Mass General's Preventive Genomics Clinic, Renée Pelletier and Deanna Brockman, share the advantages and limitations of DTC and consumer-initiated genetic tests. They also review the general history and current state of DTC and consumer-initiated genetic tests, explore resources for additional information and professional support and discuss the Preventive Genomics Clinic—a new Department of Medicine clinic that aims to empower patients to better understand, predict and prevent disease using genetic information.