Fallon Brewer will be the first chair of the Alabama Board of Genetic Counseling. Brewer is the lead genetic counselor of Prenatal Genetics Services at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The board was established by the Alabama Legislature. Brewer was appointed to the board by Governor Kay Ivey, and the other members unanimously elected her to serve as chair. The purpose of the Board of Genetic Counseling is to protect the public through the enforcement of minimum qualifications for genetic counselors, improve access to qualified genetic counselors throughout the state, and further legitimize the genetic counseling profession.
“Since I joined the Department of Genetics at UAB more than 11 years ago, obtaining licensure for genetic counselors in Alabama has always been a goal of mine,” Brewer said. “With the support of the university and my department, we were finally able to achieve that this past May. Chairing this Board allows me the opportunity to help lay the foundation that will strive to ensure public health and safety are protected by guaranteeing that genetic counselors are adequately credentialed.”
Brewer also says she hopes being part of the Board will positively influence and adequately shape the future of the genetic counseling profession in Alabama.
Alicia Gomes, genetic counselor for the UAB Medical Genomics laboratory, will serve as the Board’s secretary. Other UAB faculty serving on the Board include Leon Dure, M.D., professor and director of the Division of Pediatric Neurology; Warner Huh, M.D., professor and director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology; Sherri Jenkins, M.D., professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; and Nathaniel H. Robin, M.D., professor and medical director for the Department of Genetics.