The Norton & Elaine Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics offers education, resources and services to help you serve your patients, including educational programs and brochures; two low-to-no cost genetic testing programs – carrier screening for Jewish and interfaith individuals and couples for family planning and hereditary cancer testing for individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent; and access to expertise through our genetic counselor.
We partner with doctors, nurses, genetic counselors, and other allied health professionals to inform people about genetic disorders and hereditary cancers more common among individuals with Jewish ancestry.
Educational Brochures and Programs
Brochures
The Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics developed the following pamphlets, which we are happy to provide to you and your patients:
- Hereditary Cancers
- Jewish Genetic Disorders
- What Interfaith Families Need to Know About Jewish Genetics
- Carrier Screening Flyer
The Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics developed the following pamphlets in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health, which you and your patients can view via digital download:
- What’s New in Newborn Screening?
- Family Health History
- Family Health History (Spanish version)
- Not Your Mother’s Pregnancy
- Not Your Mother’s Pregnancy (Spanish version)
To request complimentary print materials, contact us at [email protected] or 312-357-4718. Please provide your name, organization name and department if applicable, mailing address, and the requested number of copies you wish to receive.
Programs
The Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics offers educational opportunities for medical professionals, and for their patients, throughout the year. Sample topics include:
- What’s Jewish About Hereditary Cancer?
- What’s New-ish in Jewish Genetics?
- Decoding Genetic Tests for Parents-to-Be
- Understanding Differences in Genetic Tests
- GBA Variants and Parkinson’s Disease
We also offer curriculum kits with slide decks and activities to teach both youth and adults about genetics, hereditary cancers, family health history and more. Additionally, our community health educator and genetic counselor can customize a program for you and/or your patients. For more information on programming, contact [email protected].
Low-to-No Cost Genetic Counseling & Testing Programs
The Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics offers two low-to-no cost testing programs that participants can complete at home. Both programs include online education and telehealth genetic counseling with a genetic counselor.
Carrier Screening for Family Planning
Approximately 1 in 4 Jews carry a genetic mutation for an autosomal recessive disorder that could be passed down to future offspring. Given the higher odds of Jews carrying a genetic mutation for a genetic condition, all individuals of Jewish descent should be offered carrier screening as part of family planning – this includes individuals who are in an interfaith relationship. The Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics offers an affordable, accessible carrier screening program that screens for 268 conditions, including 100 that are more common among Ashkenazi Jews and Sephardic Jews.
Learn more about how our carrier screening program can help your patients.
Hereditary Cancer Testing
Twelve to 20% of Ashkenazi Jews have a hereditary predisposition to cancer with 1 in 40 Ashkenazi Jews carrying a pathogenic variant in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. Similar to our carrier screening program, testing for hereditary cancer is affordable and screens for 63 hereditary cancer genes including several that are more common the Ashkenazi Jewish population in addition to BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Learn more about our hereditary cancer testing program can benefit your patients.
Access to Expertise
In addition to providing counseling through our testing programs, our genetic counselor is available to talk to community members – free of charge – to answer their questions and identify the best clinical resource to meet their needs. Our genetic counselor typically answers calls and emails within 48 hours. Email [email protected] for more information.
