Board Prep & Didactics

Training our residents to become excellent clinicians is one of the main goals of our program. We also prioritize didactic teaching and equipping trainees with the knowledge to pass their American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Certifying Exam. The Medical Genetics team provides both face-to-face learning opportunities and academic resources on an ongoing basis.

Face-to-Face Learning

Doctor interacting with learner

Weekly Conferences
Medical Genetics residents attend conferences on Thursday and Friday each week. Thursday conferences occur in person and involve either Grand Rounds or Journal Club, presented by residents, genetic counseling students or other rotators. Friday conferences are held virtually and given in two parts: the first hour covers a review of interesting cases, highlighting lessons learned and addressing questions from the encounter, and the second hour helps residents prepare for the following week’s clinic patients.

Variant Management Conferences
These conferences are held virtually two Wednesdays each month to share clinical cases involving yet-unclassified variants interpreted by a group from the McGovern Medical School Neurology Department. It is a good learning opportunity for practicing and understanding the way different variants are approached and studied.

Academic Resources

Topics IIWomen looking at computer screen
Residents will audit this genetic counseling course January through April of their second postgraduate year (PGY-2).

Cancer Genetics
This course offers a review of inheritance patterns and other oncology-related topics. Residents will take this course prior to starting the Cancer Genetics rotation.

Biochemical Lectures
This content is freely accessible online and very helpful during lab rotations.

Thompson & Thompson Genetics and Genomics in Medicine
The program provides the most recent edition of this textbook to ensure thorough preparation for Boards Examination.

In-Training Examinations
In-training examinations (ITEs) give combined pediatrics medical genetics residents a chance to assess their knowledge twice each year.