APP Corner: Member Feature Q&A With Leigha Senter-Jamieson, MS, LGC
Leigha Senter-Jamieson is a professor-clinical and certified genetic counselor at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and associate director of the Division of Human Genetics.
Leigha has been working in cancer genetics for about twenty years and specifically in gynecologic oncology since 2014. Leigha lives near Columbus, Ohio with her husband, two girls, and a rescue pup.
SGO invited Leigha to share more of her perspective on being a genetic counselor working in the gyn onc setting in the following Q&A.
What is your practice setting and typical patient population?
My clinic is physically located in the gynecologic oncology outpatient clinic, so while patients can make appointments to just see me on a given day, many are able to schedule in conjunction with their other appointments and treatment visits in gyn onc. My patients generally have diagnoses of ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, or they are unaffected but have a family history of these cancers. I also see relatives of patients that need to have cascade genetic testing once we’ve identified a hereditary syndrome.
How many patients do you see on an average day?
A fair amount of effort is dedicated to research and education, so my clinical effort at this point is only 30% of my FTE. I see about eight genetics patients per week (spread out between two half days). I have a colleague who covers genetics visits on the days that I’m not there, because it’s our goal to have genetics visits available 4-5 days per week so that patients have flexibility of scheduling.
As a genetic counselor, in what ways do you work with or interact with APPs?
I love our APPs! We work really closely at OSU. Since genetics/genomics has become relevant for so many gyn onc patients, we work together to determine the best testing approaches and work flows to maximize the utility for patients. We also try to build consistency across provider practices in our group, which is important given that we support several physicians and want to make sure that patients are receiving equitable and quality care. We are in frequent communication!
What do you wish your colleagues on the gyn onc care team knew in regards to your role and how you utilize your skills?
Genetic counselors generally have a very deep knowledge about a very niche discipline and our training puts us in a great position to ensure that the providers we support and our patients understand both the benefits and limitations of the testing options for genetics-influenced care. Sometimes, for instance, the differences between one testing technology or lab product and another are not readily apparent or highlighted by the labs themselves, or maybe a negative genetic test result isn’t the end of a risk assessment for a patient because the family history indicates different risk management. A genetic counselor can help fill in these gaps.
Do you do telehealth appointments? If so, what are the pros/cons of those versus in-person appointments?
Yes! They are great for genetics appointments and patients will sometimes have us connect with their family members too since a lot our discussions are of interest to them, as well. The only observed downside to the telehealth visits is that it forces a subsequent sample collection for genetic testing rather than same-day sample collection but for this patient population, it’s usually pretty easy given they have oncology labs drawn regularly. (Billing for genetic counseling visits – telehealth or otherwise – is very complicated in large part due to our lack of provider recognition by CMS).
As a genetic counselor, when did you get involved with SGO and how did you become aware of the organization?
I became a member of the SGO in 2018 after I attended an SGO Annual Meeting. I had been working in gynecologic oncology for a few years and found that I wanted more in-depth oncology knowledge than what is typically presented at genetics society meetings. I’m very lucky that my mentors (shout out to Drs. Cohn and O’Malley!) encouraged me to get involved, so I volunteered for the APP Committee and have also served on the Annual Meeting Program Committee.
What value do you get from being an SGO member/involved with SGO?
Being involved in the SGO has been really rewarding! For years, I have held various committee/leadership roles in genetics organizations, so it’s been a nice challenge to often be the only one at the table with genetic counseling expertise. I have been involved in several projects related to multidisciplinary care and I’ve been able to make professional connections with lots of people I wouldn’t have the chance to interact with otherwise.
What do you do to unwind or decompress after a long day of work?
After a long day I generally end up at a sports facility to watch my kids. I usually exercise before work every day, which I think helps me mentally decompress more than anything else!
What are some of your hobbies?
I love watching sports (kids, college, and professional!). I generally have the schedule for the football Buckeyes, Cincinnati Bengals, and Columbus Crew on the family calendar. I read every day (usually something very unrelated to work) and love to cook.