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Meet Denise – Genetic Counselor

Denise Marty is happy to be a part of the rapidly developing genetics program at Unity Hospital. She has helped continue the development the genetic counseling program within oncology, where she counsels patients with family histories of genetic conditions.

Officed at Unity Hospital in Fridley, Denise brings to the position a long-time love of genetics coupled with the desire to help others.

Denise did her undergraduate work in biology and psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and received a master’s degree in Medical Genetics from the Genetic Counseling Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Denise has trained in a number of areas where genetic counseling is utilized to help patients and families, including perinatal and pediatrics. Her favorite field of genetics, however, is oncology, and she is thrilled with the opportunity to counsel at Unity Hospitals.

Genetic counselors are members of a health care team, providing information and support to families who may be at risk for a variety of inherited conditions. They identify families at risk, investigate the condition present in the family, interpret information about the disorder, analyze inheritance patterns and risks of recurrence and review available options with the family. Denise emphasizes that family history is important and should not be ignored. Sometimes her counseling is a wake-up call to patients who have ignored a family history of hereditary conditions.

Denise's interaction with patients typically involves two counseling sessions. Before the first appointment, she gathers as much information as possible about the patient and the patient's family history of cancer. “Sometimes,” says Denise, “It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.” It may be necessary to obtain medical records of relatives to confirm a diagnosis. Some patients are concerned about their own risk for cancer based on a family history, while others may be seeking information that may help younger family members and subsequent generations. “It is very important to get each client’s individual story,” says Denise.

In the first one-on-one counseling session she reviews family history and discusses background information including:

• how genes are passed down through families;
• the likelihood of a genetic predisposition to certain types of cancer in a given family;
• how the risk for cancer in such families compares to the general population;
• the risks, benefits and limitations of genetic testing.

At the end of the first session, Denise encourages patients to carefully consider this information, and decide whether they want to pursue genetic testing. The final element of the first session is a meeting with an oncologist to address relevant medical issues.

If the patient chooses testing, they are able to have the blood draw that day or may schedule it for a future time. In the second session, Denise reviews the test results with the patient, helping them deal with the emotional ramifications of the results.

Denise emphasizes that genetic testing is not always the end result of counseling. The result could be increased observation and stepped-up screenings. “The goal is not for all patients to have genetic testing,” says Denise, “but to educate, and give the patient options.” One of her goals in counseling is for people to walk away feeling more in control of their own health care.

“We know that cancer does not usually run in families,” says Denise. “But for some there is a genetic risk factor that is passed down from generation to generation. Our ultimate goal is to help members of these families prevent cancer in themselves and in their children.”

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