Genetic Medicine
Munroe-Meyer Institute
985450 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-5450
Professional Summary
Kristen Fishler, MS, CGC, is a licensed and certified genetic counselor at the Munroe-Meyer Institute's Department of Genetic Medicine at UNMC. Kristen earned her bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Maryland, College Park. After college, she conducted social and behavioral research with the ClinSeq® team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She earned her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of Cincinnati. Her research interests include exploring the ethical challenges and aspects of psychosocial counseling related to implementing new genetic technologies in clinical care, as well as further defining the role of a genetic counselor as the field grows and expands. She is currently researching the impact of rapid genetic diagnosis for acutely ill infants and their families in a level IV NICU.
Specialty Certifications
- American Board of Genetic Counseling - Certified Genetic Counselor
- State of Nebraska - Licensed Genetic Counselor
- Preparing Future Faculty Certificate
Education
- MS, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 2018
- BS, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 2014
Teaching
- Graduate Level Instruction – UNMC Genetic Counseling Program
- GENC708: Contemporary Issues in Genetic Counseling
Research Interests & Projects
- Current Research
NICUSeq R01-NIH Funded Study to assess health care costs and medical management of utilizing whole genome sequencing in the NICU compared to the standard of care genetic testing
Selected Publications
- Kapil S, Fishler KP, Euteneuer JC, Brunelli L. (2018) Many Newborns in Level IV NICUs Are Eligible for Rapid DNA Sequencing. American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A. DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.61011
- Lewis KL, Heidlebaugh AR, Epps S, Hepler, C, Han PKJ, Fishler KP, Klein WMP, Miller IM, Ng D, Hepler C, Biesecker BB, Biesecker (2018) Knowledge, Motivations, Expectations, and Traits of an African, African-American, and Afro-Caribbean Sequencing Cohort and Comparisons to the Original ClinSeq® Cohort. Genetics in Medicine. DOI: 10.1038/s41436-018-0341-9.
- Lewis, KL, Umstead KL, Johnston JJ, Miller IM, Thompson L, Fishler KP, Biesecker LG, Biesecker BB. (2018) Outcomes of a Counseling Intervention Following Education about Carrier Results: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The American Journal of Human Genetics. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.02.009.
- Biesecker BB, Lewis KL, Umstead KL, Johnston JJ, Turbitt E, Fishler KP, Patton J, Miller IM, Heidlebaugh AR, Biesecker LG.(2018) Web Platform vs In-Person Genetic Counselor for Return of Carrier Results From Exome Sequencing: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Internal Medicine. DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.8049
Professional Affiliations
- National Society of Genetic Counselors
- Prenatal Special Interest Group
- Precision Medicine Special Interest Group
- Consultant to the University of Nebraska Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Awards
- Public Health Genetics and Precision Medicine Roles Fellowship, National Society of Genetic Counselors (2019)
- American College of Medical Genetics Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting Top Abstract Award (2018)
- National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Training Award (2014-2016)
- Timothy J. Ng Leadership Scholarship Recipient for Academic Strength and Leadership Potential (2014)