Katie Bergstrom, MS, CGC
Katie Bergstrom is a licensed, certified genetic counselor with a specialty in pediatric hematology/oncology. She works at the Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Seattle Children's Hospital. Katie sees young patients with blood disorders, including leukemia and hemophilia.
What is a Genetic Counselor?
Genetic counselors work with patients to assess their risk of having a genetic condition (including cancer), help them understand screening strategies for early cancer detection, and evaluate the risks to their family members for heritable cancer syndromes. They also help oncologists understand how a patient's genetic test result could inform what treatments might work best. Genetic counselors collect family/medical history, perform risk assessments, order and discuss the implications of genetic test results, and provide psychosocial counseling to their patients.
Katie explained, "I will see a patient/family in clinic and collect three-generations of family health history information. I use that information, along with a patient’s diagnosis, to assess for risk of a predisposition to a blood disorder or cancer." Depending on the results of that information, genetic testing may be recommended to help evaluate this risk. She also provides education regarding genetics and counseling to help families navigate uncertainty. To support this work with patients, Katie noted that her job also involves collaborating with many other experts at the hospital and communicating with insurance companies and laboratory genetic counselors.
"[Growing up], I knew I loved science, but also wanted to work with people. Genetic counseling is the perfect blend of application of scientific knowledge to everyday practice and ability to engage with people from all backgrounds."
— Katie Bergstrom
Katie's Story
Collaborative, Team Approach
Supporting pediatric patients and their families requires a collaborative, team approach. Katie explained that she works closely with experts in Hematology/Oncology, Pathology, Social Work, Psychiatry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Nutrition, and Nursing. This collaboration is necessary so that the team can "share expertise to rally around our patients’ care." Katie noted that this sense of collaboration and community extends beyond her workplace at the children's hospital. She explained, "even more broadly, the community of clinicians and researchers in pediatric hematology/oncology is an incredible network for learning." She also noted, "I’ve been lucky enough to travel to educational meetings across the country and in Montreal and Scotland to share with and learn from my colleagues."
Research and Education Projects
Genetic counseling can also include research and education projects. Katie is involved in medical genetics research projects, and has personally been involved in the discovery of at least three new genes in the past ten years. As a member of the RUNX1 research consortium, Katie collaborates with genetic counselors and oncologists across the country who see patients with a specific gene mutation known as RUNX1. RUNX1-familial platelet disorder (RUNX1-FPD) is a hereditary disorder that can make someone at higher risk for developing blood cancers, low platelet counts, or low-functioning platelets. Katie explained that as part of this project, "we are creating educational materials that we share with healthcare providers and the general public to raise awareness about rare diseases like RUNX1."
In addition, Katie is part of a group of genetic counselors representing Washington, Oregon, and Colorado who are working together to develop educational tools for individuals and healthcare providers about hemophilia. Katie explained that "hemophilia has traditionally only been thought to affect boys/men, and thus women, girls, and non-binary individuals have been misdiagnosed or overlooked, when these people can also have bleeding issues." She elaborated, "we are working to increase awareness and understanding about how hemophilia can affect all people, regardless of sex, gender, and gender identity."
Educational Pathway
Training to be a genetic counselor typically includes a four-year undergraduate degree and a two-year graduate degree. Katie explained that many genetic counselors major in Biology or Psychology in college, and then study Genetic Counseling in graduate school. Graduate school training typically covers important clinical and laboratory specialties that genetic counselors may choose to pursue during their careers, including prenatal, pediatrics, adult, and oncology specialties. Katie explained that "not all students have an opportunity to train in pediatric cancer, though I did and was passionate about that work."
Katie's educational pathway toward a career in genetic counseling included:
- Four-year Undergraduate Degree: Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics and Cell Biology with a minor in Pre-Genetics Counseling from Washington State University, Pullman, WA
- Two-year Graduate Degree: Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT
- Certification: Certified Genetic Counselor designation from the American Board of Genetic Counseling
While in college and graduate school, Katie worked as a Resident Advisor in undergraduate residence halls and graduate student apartments. This work experience paid for her room and board while in school. She also volunteered as a HIV peer counselor while in college, which provided her with "practical health care and psychosocial experience" that was helpful for her future career in genetic counseling.
Katie's first position as a genetic counselor was at Texas Children's Hospital. For six years, she specialized in pediatric cancer while collaborating with Dr. Sharon Plon, a medical geneticist and cancer genetics researcher, and Sarah Scollon, a genetic counselor. Katie explained that her position was "a mix of clinical patient care in our Hematology Center, and clinical research under a grant-funded research project, providing exome sequencing to pediatric patients with solid tumors." At Texas Children's Hospital, Dr. Alison Bertuch, a pediatric oncologist and researcher, taught Katie about bone marrow failure syndromes. Katie reflected that, "this work was deeply impactful and I am grateful for their mentorship!" Katie moved back to Washington after accepting a position at Seattle Children's Hospital to work in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
Enjoying the Pacific Northwest
After living in Utah and Texas, Katie is enjoying settling back into life in Washington State. She loves adventuring in the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest, catching up with old friends, and cheering on Washington sports teams. As a nod to her time living in Texas, Katie is also working on perfecting her Tex-Mex queso recipe.
Advice for Students
Interested in a career in genetic counseling? Curiosity is key! When asked about her advice for high school students, Katie responded, "jobs like mine, that you may have never heard of, are out there." Katie encouraged students to make connections with professionals to learn more about careers of interest. She recommended, "if you have an area of interest, like science, or healthcare, consider talking to your high school counselor, or reaching out directly to adults in your community who work in science and healthcare to learn more about our work and how we got here." Though she noted that "it may be intimidating to reach out via phone or email to a professional," do it anyway! Katie explained, "we love to hear from students, and are often aware of internships, scholarships, or other ways to get involved in our fields early."
Katie also encourages students to find relevant volunteer or intern opportunities that will help students explore a career of interest and build important skills while making an impact on their community. As mentioned before, while in college Katie volunteered as an HIV peer counselor which helped her build important skills. While living in Texas, Katie volunteered for the Periwinkle Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps patients and families affected by pediatric cancer and blood disorders. She explained, "we put on summer camps at Camp for All, a 'barrier free' camp in Texas designed to enable kids of all abilities to have a summer camp experience." These types of organizations are always looking for eager volunteers or paid interns.
Video: Who are Genetic Counselors?
"We know the importance of catching a cancer diagnosis early in order to effectively treat it, and genetic testing can help those who are at increased risk for cancer get access to earlier, life-saving detection. This is the most important aspect to my work and its greatest impact on others."
— Katie Bergstrom
U.S. Wage Information
According to the 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, the median wage for genetic counselors in the U.S. is $95,770.
Additional Resources
Credit: Thank you to Katie for generously participating in this project. Career profile written by Dr. Kristen Clapper Bergsman.