The dissertation defense will be open and held virtually
This event has passed. The written dissertation or abstract is available by clicking the link below.
The PhD in Translational Health Sciences Program is proud to announce the Dissertation Defense of:
PhD Candidate: Julie Chevalier Sapp
Communicating Unexpected Genetic Information with Family Members: A Multimethod Study of Secondary Findings Recipients
Dissertation Committee Chair: Lisa Schwartz, EdD, MS
September 21, 2023, 1:00-3:00PM ET
Medically-actionable secondary genomic findings (SF) can be life-preserving or life-prolonging for recipients but this benefit can only extend to family members if this information is shared with relatives. How SF recipients communicate this important genetic information with relatives, barriers and facilitators to this process, and SF recipients’ lived experiences in communicating about their results over time remain largely unknown. This multimethod qualitative study characterized the logistical, cognitive, and emotional processes SF recipients described when sharing their SF with relatives and employed a phenomenological approach to understand SF recipients’ lived experience of family communication over time. The local knowledge generated in this study may be applied to develop and test communication interventions leading to more generalized knowledge, a key step in dissemination and implementation research.