Emily Swan plans to use her education to counsel families with genetic predispositions to neuropathy and assist in earlier screening for Michigan residents prone to develop cancer.
The 26-year-old native of Royal Oak now lives in Madison Heights. A second-year graduate student in the genetic counseling program at the School of Medicine, she completed her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan, where she majored in biology.
After graduating from the University of Michigan, Ms. Swan first taught high school classes, and then worked as a research assistant in the Wayne State University Neurology Department. Her work there exposed her to clinical research and genetic counseling.
"I worked in the Charcot-Marie-Tooth clinic at WSU, and realized that I liked working one on one with patients," she said. "Genetic counseling is a way for me to combine my interests in teaching, science, health, and medicine.
Ms. Swan is particularly interested in neurogenetics and cancer counseling because of her clinical research on Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, an inherited peripheral neuropathy that affects the limbs. "I'm interested in cancer counseling because it's a field that also has aspects of public health. We can make health-promoting suggestions for cancer screening that can save lives."
Her goal after graduation in May is to work as a genetic counselor in the Detroit region. "I have learned so much and gained so many skills in such a short amount of time," she said. "I have enjoyed working with patients and hearing the stories that people bring to [the] clinic. Genetic counseling not only involves one patient, but involves whole families as well."
When not in school or studying, Ms. Swan enjoys reading, bicycling, Jazzercise, geo-caching and synchronized figure skating.
Ms. Swan said she selected the Wayne State University Genetic Counseling program because of her familiarity with the program directors as well as the program.
"I grew up in the metropolitan Detroit area, and I was committed to staying in this area," she said.