Postcard from Vienna – a note from our ESHG National Fellowship awardee

Postcard from Vienna – a note from our ESHG National Fellowship awardee

With the ESHG conference returning to an in-person event in June, our members made their mark in the scientific programme and on twitter (we topped the tweeting table!).

Each year, BSGM nominates a member for the ESHG National Fellowship award. This fellowship scheme provides financial support to attend the conference and is a great way for early career BSGM members to attend. This year we received several applications from CGS and AGNC members and were delighted to select Irene Esteban as our national fellow.

Irene is a research-active Genetic Counsellor, based in Scotland, and conducts both original social science and applied healthcare system-based research. Irene presented a talk at the AGNC conference in 2021 entitled “Clinical audit of a joint gynaecology-genetic counselling clinic: facilitating decision-making about risk-reducing gynaecological surgeries” and contributed to the national Consent and Confidentiality in Genomic Medicine professional guidelines.

On her return we asked Irene for her thoughts on the conference:

“I was delighted to learn that ELPAG (Ethical Legal and Psychosocial Aspects in Genetics) has now become an integral part of the annual ESHG Conference, which is great news for genetic counsellors. It is difficult to choose my highlights, but I would say that the conference has helped me learn about new aspects on hereditary cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, population carrier screening, and opportunistic screening, among other topics. I am sure that this learning experience will prove to be essential for my practice as a genetic counsellor as well as for my development as a researcher.”

As stated by BSGM Chair, Gemma Chandratillake, “We are keen to raise awareness of this fellowship scheme as an opportunity for early career members and look forward to receiving more applications next year.”

To be eligible, applicants must be:

• A current member of BSGM (including members of ACGS, AGNC, and CGS)  
• Working in the UK 
• Be no more than four years since gaining their PhD (if applicable) 
• Have not previously received an ESHG National Fellowship

As Irene says “The process of applying for the fellowship was simple and straight-forward. The fellowship covered registration fees for the conference and 600 euro for travel and accommodation in the case of attending the conference in person.”

Applicants do not need to hold formal research positions, so we encourage applications from anyone who has shown excellence in the field of human genetics. Applications for the 2023 fellowship will open early 2023, an exciting year for BSGM as we host the ESHG conference in Glasgow.